Executive Decisions
by lborgia88
Summary: An IF, written by Transmute Jun and lborgia88: Jun, Joe and Ken all have to make, and face, hard decisions about life, love and duty. And all decisions have consequences...
1. Chapter 1

The Swan bent over to examine the wiring underneath her station on the God Phoenix.

"I'll wring that Swallow's neck!" she grumbled. "What was he thinking? Bringing aboard some 'harmless' spiders? Of _course_ they would turn out to be Galactor mecha creatures designed to chew up our systems..."

The Swallow of whom she spoke was nowhere in sight. Sensing his big sister's anger, he had judiciously decided to assist the Owl in reprogramming the propulsion systems from the engine core of the God Phoenix.

"Nice view, isn't it?" the Condor smirked as he regarded the Swan's white underwear thrusting up into the air.

The Eagle choked, captivated by the sight, yet at the same time utterly embarrassed at being caught doing so by his second-in-command.

"That begs for a Condor Special." Joe grinned, moving toward Jun.

She was kneeling now, with her head beneath the station, and she appeared to be trying to remove more panels to further inspect the extent of the damage, while still cursing under her breath.

"I've got just what you need, Jun," he said in a deep whisper and he lowered himself down and slid under the station, so that he was stretched out beside her, propped on one elbow. As she turned to look at him, he removed his gun from his belt, adding an attachment to one end.

"The right tool for the job," he smirked, handing it to her. Her eyes met his as she took his gun in her hands. She was ready to throttle Jinpei, and was angrily contemplating all the tedious repair work she was going to have to do, but the way Joe was looking at her... she couldn't help but smile in return. She had a lot of work ahead of her, but maybe she could find a way to enjoy it.

"I agree," she purred, "Perfect for screwing."

"If you want, I can help you put it in the right spot." the Condor grinned. "I have a knack for this kind of thing."

"So I've heard." Jun's eyes raked Joe's muscular frame, and she suddenly realized that his body was pressing itself against the length of hers.

"I suppose I could let you do it." she sighed. "But there's only one problem..."

"What's that?" he asked mischievously. She leaned closer, getting her mouth as close to his ear as their helmets would allow before she whispered huskily.

"I don't want to end up dead."

For a fleeting second, Joe's mouth tightened, but he recovered smoothly.

"Afraid? That's not the Jun I know."

"I know your track record with women. How many-"

"Practice makes perfect, they say."

"So now you're perfect, are you?"

"You'd like to find out, wouldn't you?"

She looked away, emitting a delicate whiff of contempt.

"Can't fool me, Jun. You're curious; you can admit it to me."

She looked at Joe again, but more searchingly this time. He could be so aggravating, but he was perceptive. She _was_ curious, and had been for some time.

"There's still the little problem of the whole 'dead' thing, though."

"A man's luck has to change some time. I think you're the perfect woman to help me with that."

His chin rose a little and his eyes gleamed. Damn him, he was daring her!

From across the bridge, legs encased in bright blue boots were heading their way, legs belonging to an Eagle who was getting very tired of watching them lying side by side and speaking too quietly for him to hear.

"Well? What's your assessment of the damage, G3?"

Joe's fingers briefly grazed the soft skin of her inner thigh, before he pulled himself away from her.

"Tell him you can't possibly complete the repairs properly today," Joe was whispering, "Tell him we have to stay overnight here at the Crescent Base."

"The damage is extensive." Jun admitted, pulling herself up to a stand. "I don't know how long it will take to complete repairs. But if I keep working on it through the night..."

"Don't do that, Jun." Ken shook his head. "You've been exhausting yourself the entire day. We all have. Just write out some instructions for the technicians so they can continue working overnight."

"Are you sure?" Jun asked, looking up at Ken.

The Eagle was taken aback by the expression on the Swan's face. Her eyes were searching his, seeking an answer to a more significant question than the one she had voiced. The problem lay in that he didn't know what the true query was.

He shook his head, attempting to clear it. Was this just another one of Jun's mind games? She had been pursuing him for so long, but of late she had dropped off in that regard. He had sighed with relief. Ken had never wanted to hurt her feelings, but he just wasn't able to be with her, as long as he was in command of the Science Ninja Team.

Not that he didn't _want_ to be with Jun... she was everything he could desire in a woman, and she understood his secret life better than anyone else ever could. Yet the Eagle didn't trust himself to be involved with the Swan personally, while at the same time remaining completely impartial when they were on duty.

He decided to answer the question as she had asked it. One thing was for sure: Ken didn't understand the games women played, and if Jun wasn't going to be up front about... whatever it was... he wasn't about to start a guessing game. He would just take her at face value.

"Yes, I'm sure." he said firmly. "You need some rest, Jun. Write out those instructions, and then retire to your quarters here on base for some rest. You can check out the status of the repairs in the morning."

Jun's mouth fell open, and she nodded slowly.

"If that's what you want, Ken."

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	2. Chapter 2

So, they would be staying overnight at the Crescent Base. It was a decision that was not without some decided benefits; one being the cafeteria that was staffed by cooks that were not Jinpei and (more to the point!) not her. So, Jun got out of Birdstyle and enjoyed a good dinner. Hunger had also driven Jinpei out of hiding and she was able to subject him to a lecture he'd never forget on the subject of collecting 'interesting' spiders. Everyone was there except Joe. Normally she wouldn't have given that much thought. He kept to himself a lot of the time… but tonight she couldn't seem to get him out of her mind. When he'd been lying so close to her on the floor, noticing her, making her feel desirable, it had been all too easy to flirt back. Now, though, she could feel herself practically flushing as she remembered the things he'd said -and the things she'd said! What _had_ she been thinking? She had always been the one who nurtured and maintained the whole intra-team dynamic; did whatever it took to keep everything running smoothly. How could she have been considering something that would so dangerously rock the boat? She had to be…

Damn it! She had just knocked her water glass over. So much for the graceful Swan.

"Hah!" said Jinpei, as he shoved a bunch of napkins her way.

"Is that really just water you're drinking there?" teased Ryu.

Ken was staring at her. He'd been quiet all through dinner, and he didn't say anything now either. Under normal circumstances she would have appreciated the tact, but for some reason tonight it just irritated her. She finished her dinner quickly and made a beeline for her quarters.

A long, hot shower -that was what she needed, and it did make her feel somewhat better. She felt calmer. Whatever crazy things she might have done today, tomorrow was a new day and all could be corrected. Whatever she might have recklessly implied to Joe, she didn't have to do anything she didn't want to do.

One thing she did want to do, though, was to take a quick look at the God Phoenix before she went to sleep, to see how the technicians had fared. She still felt guilty for not staying and working on the repairs herself. It was her responsibility as the team's engineer. It was her job to keep everything running smoothly.

Wasn't that just becoming the story of her life?

The technicians had removed more panels, and seemed to have done some adequate repair work, but only to certain systems. More work remained to be done. She sighed and stood up again; she knew what she'd be doing first thing in the morning!

As she moved to leave the bridge, The Condor's chair spun around to face her.

Joe was in the chair.

"Have I got you pegged or what? I knew you'd come back here tonight."

"Well, I may be predictable, but no one can fault me for taking my work seriously!"

"I can. I think you work too hard."

She opened her mouth to scoff, but no words came out. The way he was looking at her...

"You work too hard, you spend too much time trying to take care of all of us, but what about _you_, Jun?"

She could only stare at him.

"Who takes care of _you_?" he whispered.

Her legs were feeling a little... God, had she just _trembled_?

Joe stood up, came towards her, and reached for her hands. Now he was leading her back to his station, sitting in his chair, and pulling her down slowly so that she was straddling his lap. Her heart was racing, and that look was still in his eyes, but he only slid his hands up her back and began slowly rubbing the muscles of her neck and shoulders.

That felt so good. She closed her eyes as he moved his hands over her neck and shoulders, slowly down her spine, feeling tension leave her body; tension she hadn't even realized was there.

She gave in to it; gave in to the soothing pressure of his hands and the warmth she could feel emanating from his body, so near to hers. And he was kissing her lips with his own and in that moment it seemed so natural, so right, that her conscious mind wasn't even sure just when he'd begun kissing her...

"Hey, Ma'am, where do you want the new Power Couplings install... oh hey! Whoa!"

Jun pulled back in horror, her face as red as her t-shirt as she saw the technician who had walked onto the bridge of the God Phoenix. There were at least a dozen engineers around here. How could she have forgotten herself so completely?

It was Joe's fault.

She glared at him before turning to address the technician.

"I'll install those myself, in the morning." she informed the bewildered man. "Thank you for bringing them here."

"Sure thing..." the man said, staring after Jun as she stalked off of the God Phoenix.

But she was barely out of the Maintenance Bay when she felt a hand on her arm.

"There's something there." the Condor smirked.

"What's 'there' is actually what's _not_ there." Jun huffed. "And that would be _my mind_. I must have lost it to find myself in such a situation with you."

"You didn't lose your mind." Joe whispered softly. "You lost that nasty little voice that's always telling you what to do, regardless of what _you_ want."

"I think I know what I want, thank you very much." Jun snapped as she stalked down the corridor.

"I do too." Joe said.

Jun stopped walking, then stared hard at the Condor. Normally Joe's tone was angry, or mocking, or overly confident, but right now...

He was serious.

She had never seen that look on his face before... okay, she had seen it just a few minutes ago, back on the God Phoenix when he had asked who took care of her. And it was having the same effect on her now.

"I can see that you're still thinking about this." Joe told her. "I don't want to force you into anything you aren't ready for, Jun."

"What about you?" Jun blurted.

"What about me?" Joe asked, surprised.

"Are _you_ ready for this?"

The Condor laughed.

"I'm a _man_, Jun. I'm _always_ ready for this." His voice was the one she knew so well, the hard, mocking smirk that put up walls around his emotions. But now, Jun could see through the cracks...

"But yes." Joe admitted, his voice suddenly soft again. "I've been thinking about _this_... wanting _this_... for a long time, now."

"You _have_?"

Joe sighed in frustration, running his hand through his hair.

"Look, I can see that this is a lot for you to process. I'll tell you what, Jun. I'll come by your quarters in an hour. I'll use the handprint access. If you've configured the door to remain unlocked, then I'll come in. If you've secured access, then I'll understand, and I'll go."

Jun's mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. She gulped nervously, then found just enough strength for a whisper.

"Okay..."

Then she turned and ran down the corridor, as far away from Joe as she could get.

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	3. Chapter 3

Ken just couldn't seem to get comfortable in his bed. He really only slept well at his airfield. Here, he was just too close to it all, and could never quite shake the feeling that at any second he was going to have to dash out of his quarters and be Gatchaman, with all that that entailed. After shifting position for what had to be the fifteenth time, he just gave up. He got out of the bed and put his civvies back on. He would take a brisk walk around the Crescent Base. This late at night he likely wouldn't encounter anyone, and it might be just the thing to dispel his restlessness.

Now, here he was all the way down at the Engine Room level and there was no further he could walk. Still, he could sit here for a few minutes before beginning the trek back to the upper level where their quarters were. To him, the deep, steady hum of the massive engines was somehow a soothing sound, and his thoughts drifted.

_Jun_. This was really all about Jun. Watching Joe flirt with her today (he knew Joe well enough to know that was _exactly_ what he'd been doing!) had really bothered him, far more than he liked to admit, even to himself.

He knew Jun wanted a relationship with _him_; he _knew_! He wasn't _really_ that clueless! And he knew _all_ the reasons why it could never happen; they'd all run through his mind earlier today on the bridge of the God Phoenix, when her eyes had been conveying a question that he hadn't understood.

Or had he understood after all? Of late she'd been quieter around him; a little more distant. Was she giving up on him at last? Was _that_ the question: "speak now or forever..."? Had Joe been picking up on this? Was _that_ why he seemed to be moving in on Jun now?

Ken stood up and began pacing around. Could she _actually_ believe that he didn't want her? How could she ever think that? There was no woman on earth that he could _ever_ want more than Jun.

But he had never told her that. All that she had to go on were his actions, and he had to admit that they... could be interpreted otherwise.

Was Joe going to succeed now with his overtures? Ken really didn't want to think about that! Sour grapes, no doubt, but there it was. Yet he had no claim on Jun; no right to tell Joe to stay away from her.

He was going to have to clear the air between Jun and himself. The time had come for plain speaking and he owed her truth. She was his dream, his perfect woman, and if they couldn't have a relationship it was sure as hell _not_ because he didn't want her! The agonizing truth was that he just could not conceive how they -okay, how _he_- could be with her now, while they were in the midst of a war.

But he would tell her the truth; he would accept whatever she then decided to do. In fact, he would try to tell her right now, before he lost his nerve. She might still be up. He headed for the door, to begin the long walk back to the upper level. Or should he just take the elevator?

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Joe looked at the clock. One hour was up. He stood to leave his quarters, but hesitated at the door. He was more nervous than he'd realized.

He still couldn't believe this day had gone the way it had. He had actually been kissing Jun, and she had been responding -yes, she had- before that damned technician barged in and ruined it.

Stupid... He should have realized, when he'd found the bridge empty, that the technicians had only left temporarily and were coming back. He'd been hasty; he hadn't thought his plan all the way through.

Wasn't that just the story of his life?

But wanting Jun -that hadn't been a sudden impulse. No, he'd wanted her for a long time.

He took a couple deep breaths to steady himself, and left his quarters. The moment of truth was here.

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Jun paced back and forth in her tiny quarters. The chamber was so small that she could only take two long strides before having to turn around and go back again. But she needed to work off this nervous energy that was taking over her body.

What should she do?

She was curious about Joe. Damn it, she was _more_ than curious. After kissing him, she now _knew_... she knew what he felt like, what he tasted like...

And she wanted more.

But there was also a part of her that still held out for Ken. He had made his lack of interest more than clear. She had spent far too long mooning over him. These past few months, when she had all but given up on him, had been the most liberating of her life.

And yet, if Ken were to walk in that door and tell her that he wanted her now... what would she say?

This morning she would have taken him, unequivocally. But after her encounter with Joe... did she _still_ want Ken?

It was that question that she needed to answer.

For half an hour she paced back and forth, pondering the question. She was exhausted. She didn't want to think about this anymore.

She just wanted someone to come and take care of her.

With a sudden smile, she knew what she was going to do. She walked over to the door and unlocked it. Then she lay down on her bed and waited.

It wouldn't be long now...

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Ken made his way down the hallway to Jun's quarters. He approached her door, and raised his hand to the access pad, to request entrance.

But to his surprise, the door slid open.

Jun's room was dark inside, and he squinted briefly before the door slid closed again.

"J..?"

Before he could even say her name, she was there, in his arms, her lips pressed against his. The explosion of emotion that blasted through him was overwhelming, and before he knew it, his arms were wrapped around her, returning the passion she shared so eagerly with him.

What the hell had he been thinking? _Why_ had he pushed her away all of these years? Clearly _this_ was what he wanted... what he _needed_...

A bright flash of light fell across him, and Ken looked up, startled. The door had opened again, and someone was standing there...

Joe.

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	4. Chapter 4

And the night came down with a crash.

Jun was stunned, how could Joe be standing in the doorway if-

_Ken_. The man she'd just been kissing, the man who'd been responding with near-total abandon had been _Ken_? She let go of him, stepped back, and tried to re-orient her universe.

"What are you doing here, Joe?"

"I was invited to this party, Ken. Were _you_?"

Joe was leaning now against the door frame, and his voice was a sardonic drawl. If he was shocked or hurt, it didn't show; his shields were up again, in full force. He even had his arms crossed.

Now Ken was turning to her.

"You... invited _him_ here, Jun?"

What could she say? It was the truth. But his clear, blue eyes were hiding nothing. She could see his pain... and also his anger. So many conflicting emotions were grabbing at her; she felt amazed she wasn't breaking apart. _Joy:_ Ken wanted her. _Shame:_ what must he think of her now? _Anger:_ what right did he have to judge her anyway?

"You thought I was _Joe_?" he snapped.

Joe was laughing quietly.

"Take it easy, Ken. We'll find a couple swords, fight a duel at dawn, the winner gets the girl..."

How the _hell_ could Joe think this was funny?

But Ken closed his eyes, and pushed his hair off his forehead with his hands. When he looked at her again, his anger had ebbed.

"Last time I checked, Ken, no one owns anyone here."

"I'm sorry, Jun." said Ken quietly. The air in the room felt... lighter; she could breathe again. Maybe Joe actually knew what he was doing here.

"After the way I've acted, for so long, I don't blame you if you've given up on me."

And now she was able to find her voice again.

"Why are you here _now_, Ken?"

"Jun, I..." He faltered, looking more than a little uncomfortable, but then he was being scrutinized closely by Joe, whose own face was unreadable.

"What, you saw Joe paying attention to me today and you suddenly remembered that I exist?"

Ken didn't answer.

"I think this is the part where I'm supposed to make a gracious exit so he can spill out his heart to you in private." said Joe, still studying Ken.

Damn it. She thought she could tell what Joe was trying to do. He was assuming that only _his_ presence was keeping her from throwing herself into Ken's arms now, and he was trying to escape with all his dignity intact. But she remembered the way he'd kissed her earlier that evening... caring, sensual, delicious… and the way he'd been looking at her then.

Did she _want_ him to leave?

But Ken... his kiss had been a rush of passion, urgency, surrender...

She was hesitating now, and they both could see it.

"What do _you_ want?" asked Ken.

That was the problem! She didn't know! Too much was happening now, and too quickly. She needed time to think.

An awkward silence ensued.

Finally Joe spoke, and stopped leaning against the door.

"I have a suggestion. I'll leave, right now, and you two can do whatever you like. But, tomorrow night, Jun, you spend with me."

"That's preposterous!" Ken blurted out.

"So, you _don't_ want me to leave so you can be alone with Jun all night?" Joe raised an eyebrow in mock surprise.

"That's not what I mean, and you know it!" the Eagle steamed. "Stop playing your games, Joe!"

"Games?" Jun cried, a wave of anger washing through her. "_You're_ one to talk about games, Ken! You've ignored me, pushed me away, told me in every way you knew how that you weren't interested, and yet tonight you suddenly change your mind? Let's talk about games, Ken..."

Her eyes flashed over to Joe, and she saw an expression of utter surprise there. But the moment he noticed her gaze upon him, his usual sardonic grin returned.

"Ken, I think you have some 'splainin' to do." the Condor drawled in a fair imitation of Ricky Ricardo.

"I..." Ken looked back and forth between his second and his third, unable to form any words in his utter shock and anger. The Eagle took a deep breath, struggling to maintain his composure.

"I've been a fool, Jun." he said quietly. "I realize that now. When you kissed me, a moment ago..."

"I thought I was kissing someone else." Jun pointed out.

"I know..." Ken hung his head. "But all the same, what that did to me... now I understand what I want. I know what I'm missing."

"Funny, that's what I was thinking earlier." Jun admitted. "After Joe kissed me, I thought that I finally knew what I was missing..." She looked shyly over at the Condor.

"That's why I left the door unlocked..." she whispered.

"Jun..." Ken knew that three was a crowd, and to his amazement, _he_ was feeling like the odd man out.

"Jun..." Joe said, but unlike the Eagle's pleading tone, the Condor's voice carried a note of amazement.

"What about Joe's proposition, Jun?" Ken said hurriedly. When Joe had offered the idea of the Swan spending time with each of them, he hadn't been interested at all. But now, it seemed like this might be the only way to convince her...

But what did he want to convince her of? Even if he managed to turn her attentions back to him, could he meet that challenge? Was he ready to be with her in the way she wanted him to be?

Thinking back on the kiss they had shared, only moments ago, Ken knew that he was.

"Spending the night with you, and then Joe?" Jun asked sarcastically. "Are you guys trying to pass me around like a used car?"

"You're not a used car, Jun." Joe said softly. "You're a Ferrari Enzo... with a few strong laps around the track to your credit. But the mechanic you trusted hasn't been doing his job. You need better care..."

"So you think you're the 'mechanic' for Jun?" Ken spat.

"I know how to treat a rare and precious thing." Joe said, his eyes locked on Jun's. "I don't let anyone down. _Ever_."

"I don't think this idea of Joe's is such a good one..." Jun began, her heart fluttering wildly.

"But it is! You owe it to yourself to see..." Ken protested.

"I hate to agree," Joe sighed, "but I do, Jun. You need to be sure."

"I..." Jun looked back and forth between the two men before finally hanging her head in acceptance. "If you say so, Joe."

Ken's anger flared to hear Jun say those words. As if Jun needed _Joe_ to give her permission to be with Ken?

"I'll spend a night with each of you." Jun agreed. "But I want to make one little change." She stared straight at the Condor as she spoke her condition.

"Tonight belongs to Joe."

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	5. Chapter 5

She wasn't being submissive at all, Ken realized instantly; she may have been G3, but her words were unmistakably a direct order. So he would have to leave, and Joe would stay.

But just for one night. Years... for years now, Jun had been finding excuses to be around him, looking at him with that hopeful, eager light in her eyes. He'd been so stupid to think that he could just pretend he didn't notice, hoping desperately that every mission would be the one that led to Galactor's final defeat. But still, it had been years now. Surely there was no way that her feelings for him, feelings that she'd held for so long, could just disappear overnight.

Maybe this was a final trial… or a well-deserved punishment that he was going to have to endure if he were to truly win Jun's heart. He would have to cling to that hope.

He looked one last time at Jun, and then moved for the door, as Joe stepped out of his way and into the room.

Jun watched the door close behind Ken, and then her room was dark.

As her eyes adapted to the darkness, she stared down at her feet, too nervous to look at Joe. She'd really done it now. It was so easy to talk, but _doing_ was another thing entirely.

The look in Ken's eyes; what had she done to Ken? Guilt twisted her stomach. But then she remembered Joe's words from earlier in this crazy evening... "that nasty little voice that's always telling you what to do, regardless of what _you_ want."

It was the same voice that was making her feel guilty now. Well, this time she wasn't going to listen! She hadn't done anything to Ken that he didn't, at least to some extent, deserve.

She was going to think about herself. What did _she_ want?

Joe silently found his way across the room to her desk, pulled out a chair and sat down. He switched on the small desk lamp. She still was finding it hard to look at him, but she could remember.

She could remember the way his hands had felt on her body, his lips on hers; he'd made her feel beautiful, sexual... and cared for.

She wanted that feeling again.

But did she dare, did she dare? She took a long, deep breath, and tried to will her heart to beat slower.

She walked over to her bed, sensing that Joe's eyes were following her. She was standing now at the edge of her bed, with her back to him. She stepped out of her shoes. She unbuckled her belt, and let her pants slide down to her feet. She pulled her shirt over her head and dropped it on the floor.

She had to take another deep breath first, but she unfastened her bra and down it went too. She reached for her panties, her so-often-flashed white and waist-high panties...

No, her stomach fluttered. She couldn't do it; or at least... not yet. The panties stayed on. But she turned and lay down on her bed, on her stomach, and turned her head to, finally, look at Joe. His eyes were dark in the dim light.

"You seem to be quite the masseur, Joe. I believe I want a back rub."

And then he was at her side, kneeling on the floor beside her bed, and his hands began to rove across her neck and shoulders, stroking, kneading, soothing...

Oh my God... With no clothing as a barrier, the feeling was even more intense and sensual. Even... erotic. His hands moved across her shoulder blades, to her sides, and his fingertips briefly touched the sides of her breasts, pressed against the bedclothes, and the sensation made her gasp softly. But his hands moved away, and now they worked their magic on the small of her back... her waist... the backs of her thighs...

She felt as if she were glowing, as if all the nerves of her skin were sighing.

"Oooohhh..."

And he was trailing his fingers along the skin of her inner thighs, and she couldn't help it; a small moan escaped her throat. At her very core, she could feel pulling, yearning sensations of...

Desire.

But somehow, even with all of the smooth, melting strokes along her body, Joe did not answer that desire. Her tension, her stress were falling away from her, only to be replaced by a new kind of tightness... an urgency...

One that he was completely ignoring.

Jun sighed happily, her throaty moans ones of pure pleasure. She was practically purring. Her veins were full of liquid honey. She felt as if she had become nothing more than a puddle on the bed. She closed her eyes, and her lips curved into a relaxed smile.

She drifted along, feeling Joe's hands on her body, but at the same time not feeling them; instead soaking up the peace of this moment... something she had had far too little of, since joining the Science Ninja Team.

She was almost asleep when she felt Joe's hands leave her, and something light fell onto her body.

The sheet.

Joe moved slowly, lying down next to her, his arm thrown casually across her waist. He breathed deeply, and then lay completely still.

After a minute of this, Jun was wide awake. What was Joe doing?

She squirmed, turning around under the sheet and the heavy weight of his arm, until she was facing him on her narrow bed. His eyes were closed, and he looked as if he were at peace.

"Go to sleep, Jun."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I just..."

"What do you need, a cup of warm milk?"

"No..." she grimaced. Wasn't she going about this correctly? "This isn't exactly what you promised, Joe."

"Promise? What did I promise?"

"You promised to come here tonight and..."

"And what?"

Damn, was he going to make her say it?

"You promised to come and... love me."

"I don't believe I ever said that word."

His eyes were open now, and he had propped his head up on one hand, looking down at her with some inscrutable expression.

"But... I thought..."

Joe leaned down, tenderly pressing his mouth against hers. He pulled back, sighing softly before he spoke again.

"No, Jun. You didn't think. I didn't think either. Neither of us thought that Ken..."

She pressed a finger against his lips, silencing him.

"Don't say that." she said, shaking her head. "He's not important right now."

"Not important?" Joe snorted. "How can you say that?"

"No." Jun protested. "I chose you Joe. I wanted _you_. You were the reason I left my door unlocked tonight, and you were the one I want to be with, right now."

"You _are_ with me."

"Not the way I was hoping..."

"Really?"

A flicker of a smile crossed his face, before it returned to its usual self-deprecating smirk.

"I don't want to take advantage of you, Jun. Whatever we do, it needs to be something you won't regret."

"At this point, my only regret is that you haven't started already."

"But would Ken..."

The Condor stopped speaking as the Swan pressed herself against him, kissing him with eagerness and passion.

Was this right?

His body wasn't thinking about right and wrong. His hands were eagerly helping Jun remove his clothes, and now there was nothing left between them. Not the sheet, not her damned Birdstyle underwear, nothing...

Not even Ken.

He silenced that nagging part of him. He had listened to it, tried to give Jun the space and time she needed to think about things, but he couldn't resist this. He had wanted her... he had loved her... for far too long to resist such an onslaught. He wasn't a man constrained by duty or rigid proprieties. He was a man who took what he wanted, and lived what little life he had to the fullest.

Whatever happened now, he was fully committed.

Despite their shedding of clothing, their intimacy thus far had been limited to kissing and caressing. But having thrown off the last of his emotional constraints, Joe felt that he could wait no longer. His lips left hers, trailing along the line of her jaw and down to her neck. He felt her whimpers of desire underneath his mouth as it pressed against her graceful throat, before moving downward, and finding his way to her breast.

His mouth, hot and wet, covered her nipple, pulling gently, sending delicious shivers across her skin...

"Tell me what you want," he whispered as his hair, and his warm breath, tickled her chest.

"Joe, I..." Did she really know?

"If you want it, then you can say it."

"Your mouth... on my breast. More of that," she replied softly.

And again his lips and tongue were at her breast, making its nerve endings sing while stirring a deeper, primal response at her body's core.

"Tell me what you want," he murmured.

"Your hand, on my other breast." she breathed.

And his hand cupped her other breast, massaging and lightly squeezing her nipple, while his mouth still pleasured the other. She felt as if she were slipping out of reality and into a place where the very air she breathed was suffused with sensuality and all was possible. What did she want?

"Use your teeth, but not too hard."

Quick, firm little bites to her nipple, now swollen with stimulation, created little jolts of sensation, making her breathe even faster and inflaming the demanding hunger below.

"Tell me what you want."

She knew; she could feel her face grow hotter thinking of it... She almost felt delirious but she had to find words.

"Touch me, touch me here..."

His hand left her breast and trailed slowly, tantalizingly across her stomach to the swell of her vee of soft, dark hair, pushing her fingers aside as she demonstrated what she wanted. Jun realized she was holding her breath as she spread her legs further apart, and then she felt his fingers, sliding wetly, parting her most intimate folds...

"Ohhhh..." she gasped for air, muscles tensing throughout her body as pleasure so good it was almost a torment, from the delicate motions of his fingers, flowed outward through her body.

If only he would...

He was going to make her say it.

She wanted it; she could say it, though her rapid breathing wasn't making speech easy.

"There, Joe… stroke me."

And he did. She thought she knew her body, knew everything it was capable of.

She was wrong. She'd had no idea that any physical touch could induce such bliss. She was moaning, probably too loudly, but she didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore except the ravenous desire that was building and building at her core.

She was on fire, she was burning...

No, she was dissolving...

"Ohhhhh!"

Spasming, melting, into a sea of ecstasy...

And Joe was kissing her, and she was sliding her tongue into his mouth, clutching his shoulders, and there was nothing in the universe except his body and hers.

He moved his mouth to her ear, his breath rapid and hot against her neck.

"Tell me what you want."

She knew; she could feel it now, pushing against her. She reached down, taking him in her hands, making him gasp. God, he was hard, and... _big_.

"I want this."

"Be more specific," he whispered, lightly nibbling her earlobe.

"I want you to fuck me."

"Gotta love a girl who knows what she wants."

She raised her legs, encircling Joe's hips with them, but he moved suddenly sideways and down, rolling over and taking her with him. Now he was on his back and she found herself straddling his hips, staring down at his face.

"Are you sure, Jun? You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

But she felt no doubt.

"I want this, Joe."

"You want it," he said huskily, looking into her eyes, "then you take what you want."

And suddenly, the lust-induced fog in Jun's mind cleared.

She didn't have to demean herself by asking... Joe wasn't trying to do that. He just needed to make sure that the decisions came from her. He was perfectly capable of taking the lead; she had realized that from their brief encounter on the Bridge of the God Phoenix.

He wanted _her_ to lead, to ensure that she didn't do anything she would regret.

Well, two could play that game. She was just going to take what she wanted. Joe was a big boy: she was pretty sure he could handle whatever she dished out.

Or could he?

A wicked smile crept across her face. Slowly, she slid down, rubbing her body along Joe's, her left arm trailing along the edge of the narrow bed. Her fingers sought, and then found, what she was looking for.

Before the Condor could blink, the Swan had her yo-yo in her hands. He barely knew what was happening as she grabbed his wrists and tied them to the headboard of her bed. The expression on Joe's face was almost comical in its momentary distress, before he attempted to hide his instinctual reaction.

"Shhhh....." she whispered in a soothing voice, lying down on top of him, her face next to his. "It's okay..." She kissed him, tenderly at first, then with growing ardor as he responded to her attentions.

"I'm just taking what I want." she smirked, before sliding herself back down his hard, muscular body. Damn, he was gorgeous! She had never realized the perfection that lay below his t-shirt and jeans. Of course, his Birdstyle molded to his body, but she had never imagined...

She gazed hungrily at him, and suddenly knew what she had to do.

Carefully, she brought her head down, past his waist, until she was looking him in the 'eye'. Teasingly, she blew a soft puff of air onto his hard length, delighted to see it quiver at the small sensation. She stretched out her hand, trailing one perfectly shaped fingernail lightly along his sensitive skin. She followed this with more fingers, one by one, until her entire hand was lightly stroking up and down, ragged gasps coming from his throat.

Leaning down, she pressed her lips against the base of his manhood, slowly kissing, stroking, and delicately nibbling at the succulent treat she was being offered. He groaned loudly, encouraging her onward in her attentions.

"Damn, Jun, you're going to kill me!" Joe grunted through gritted teeth.

"But what a way to go..." Jun smiled coyly, before she took his head between her lips.

There was a near animal-like cry as she wrapped her tongue around him, caressing and exploring, the sweetness of his skin mixed with a slight tinge of the saltiness of his essence. Tears were streaming from his face and she could see the tension etched on his chiseled features.

"Jun, I can't... hold back...."

"Then don't." she murmured, as much as she could with her mouth full of his warm flesh.

The resulting explosion was exhilarating, and she greedily accepted everything he offered, continuing to suckle, demanding more, eking out every last drop of him as he thrashed and writhed beneath her.

Damn! If this was what he was like now, imagine if he were properly inside of her! Jun's eyes lit up with a mysterious glint.

She was far from done with Kondoru no Joe.

Joe stared up at Jun, as if through a fog of pleasure; his eyes didn't seem to want to focus properly, and his muscles felt as if they'd turned to water.

But, oh, did he feel goood...

It dawned on him, watching her smile, that somehow he'd always sensed that just beneath Jun's surface there simmered unknown depths of fiery passion and daring. It had always been part of who she was.

But now, he could only stare up at her in awe, as he tried to take deep breaths and restore oxygen to his body.

He wanted to reach for her, but...

"Planning to untie me any time soon?"

His wrists were bound exactly tight enough to keep him from freeing himself, without actually causing any pain. Jun's handiwork -she was an expert.

"Hmmm," she smirked, "I'll have to think about that."

"I can make it worth your while," he said suggestively, raking his eyes down her body.

She laughed, her eyes alight with mischief, but she stayed where she was, between his knees.

"Come here." he said.

"I _am_ here."

"No, come _here_. I still have the use of my mouth, Jun."

Using his legs, he gently but inexorably urged her forward.

"Let me taste you."

Jun laughed softly, the sound happy, pleased, and slightly... triumphant?

"I think you need to be more specific, Joe." she smirked, turning his own game back around on him. "You need to tell me _exactly_ what you want."

"That's hardly a problem." Joe grinned. "I want _all_ of you."

"Not very specific..." Jun hummed happily.

"I want to taste you, the way you just tasted me." he raised an eyebrow in challenge.

"I suppose that could be arranged." she said thoughtfully.

Slowly, Jun sat up, straddling Joe's waist, then slowly slid forward, her moist warmth leaving a trail of desire across his rippling torso. When she reached the top of his chest, she bent down, kissing him lightly on the mouth. Seizing the opportunity he had been given, Joe caressed her with his tongue, giving her a teasing foretaste of what was to happen to another part of her.

"Mmmm...." she shuddered, unable to wait any longer. She broke off the kiss, then sat up and leaned back, her spine arching as her body went back down, her ebony-green hair softly caressing his hips as she rested her head against them. For a normal person, a bent-backward position such as this might have been uncomfortable, but to a woman highly trained in gymnastics, like Jun, this was as comfortable a position as any other, and practically second nature.

Joe found Jun's feminine charms displayed to him... from about an inch too far away.

"You'll need to move closer." he pointed out.

"I thought you would want to work for it." she pouted.

"Whatever my Swan commands." he replied, lifting his head and reaching for her. Desperately he tugged at his wrists, but the nearly-indestructible yo-yo cord, combined with Jun's excellent bondage skills, refused to give way.

Light, flickering touches set the Swan's senses reeling, and she moaned with delight at the Condor's wet warmth caressing her own...

She knew now just what fire of bliss he could spark in her body, and anticipation coursed through her like the rush of a drug. The tip of his tongue slid softly, slowly circling that most sensitive and eager bud where she most craved its touch; her moans deepened and she reached behind her head, gripping his hips in impatience. Still, he circled her slowly, almost leisurely...

"Joe..."

A quick flick of his tongue made her gasp with delight; yes, she was so close to the edge... Yes! Now! She was ready to soar...

But he pulled back, pulling her back from the very brink of fulfillment. She writhed, and groaned.

Yet soon, she felt the touch of his tongue once again, slow and soft, circling...

He knew exactly what he was doing. From his intimate vantage, he could play her like a fine instrument, but deny her the music of crescendo, and he was doing just that, over and over...

He was rendering her near mindless with desperate, yearning want. Never in her life had she craved release so utterly and viscerally. Soon, her arms thrashed at her sides, frantically clenching and unclenching the bed sheets. Her skin against his was slick with perspiration. And still he ratcheted her higher and higher.

"Jooooe!" She was past groaning; this was a scream.

And yet, in the midst of her frenzy, she realized that he was, once again, hard and erect.

And then his lips and tongue embraced her fully, finally, and she exploded...

A voice beyond words was crying out. It was hers.

Was she still corporeal? Surely the crashing waves that flooded over her had shattered her body into glowing fragments of the purest ecstasy.

Time ceased to have meaning; she would never know how long she lay atop Joe before she came back to herself, staring up at the ceiling.

She had to see his face. She found that she could, in fact, still move and soon she was lying against him, touching his face with her hands, and they were kissing and kissing...

And now she could feel his hardness between her thighs. She reached up and began to untie his hands, even as she positioned herself over him, and impaled herself as deeply as she could on his engorged length, even as she continued to kiss him...

His blood was full of fire, and it rushed through his body to his extremities, leaving a scorching path behind. The exquisite yearning inside of him was tremendous, and he knew there was only one release. Never before had he been so out of control: forgetting all else but the woman in his arms, giving himself over to her completely; as eager to fulfill her needs as he was to satisfy his own.

That wasn't to say that he wasn't a good lover. No, he certainly knew his way around a woman's body, and went out of his way to ensure that the partners he had been with had enjoyed themselves. But this... this was beyond his experience. Never before had he had an emotional connection with his partner in intimacy, and he was discovering that it made all the difference.

Dimly, he realized that his hands had been freed, and reached for her, caressing her breasts, her hips, her fascinating curves. She was riding him; hard, fast strokes that would surely culminate their passions shortly.

But that wasn't what he wanted.

He wanted this to last forever... to be suspended in this utterly perfect ecstasy of physical and emotional passion with the woman he loved for all time.

But since 'all time' wasn't possible, he settled for 'as long as possible'. He raised his left leg, hooking it around hers and flipping them both over in one smooth motion, so that he was now in control. He had wanted this first time to be all hers: to have her be in charge, to ensure that she was as eager as he. But now, those noble ideals had gone out the window, crashing into dust as she had driven herself upon him.

He pulled back slowly, until she whimpered with distress, then gradually returned, lengthening and deepening his strokes. Yet his movements were unhurried, to prolong the intimate moment between them. She seemed to relax, her features softening as she did so, and her hands ran over him: his chest, his back, his thighs, until she had her hands on his backside and was pulling him inside of her.

It was enough to send him over the edge, and he shouted her name as his body tensed, the pleasure running through him with such intensity he could barely breathe. His arms locked, supporting him, while the rest of his body sagged, as their strength seemed to flow out of him and into his lover.

His lover... she had fainted from the heat of their passion, and now he collapsed next to her, his fingers tracing the lines of her face, his lips following them with soft kisses.

"Jun, Jun, Jun, Jun..."

He could not stop whispering her name as he cradled her in his arms. Her eyes fluttered open, and locked on his, smiling as she beheld him.

"Joe...." she sighed, and the sound was one of pure happiness.

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	6. Chapter 6

Ken sat on the floor, his back barely touching the wall, his head in his hands, and his bent elbows on his raised knees. How long he had been there, he wasn't certain.

He had been unable to sleep, and he had decided to go to the lounge that the members of the Science Ninja Team all shared at the Crescent Coral Base. But as he had passed by Jun's room, he had heard the loud, animal-like cry of a voice he knew all too well.

"Jooooe!"

He had heard Jun's voice many times; it was engraved in his memory. But never had he heard it filled with passion and energy and joy such as that one word had been. Ken's heart had turned to stone, and he had found himself rooted to the spot, unable to drag himself away from the scene, knowing that just a few feet away, she was....

With Joe.

He couldn't help it. After being unable to hear any more, he had moved closer to her door, his ear practically pressed against it as he listened for the soft moans and cries, the harsh breathing and panting that were coming from inside. His mind conjured up images for him, and each one nearly made him physically ill.

Clearly, this was what Jun wanted.

But could he live with that?

He had _his_ chance, tomorrow... but after what he had heard just now, would he be able to take it?

He didn't know.

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They fell asleep in each others arms, legs entwined. At times during that night, Jun found herself on the border between dreams and consciousness, each time aware that Joe's body and hers made subtly different patterns, but always finding and touching each other, sharing warmth and comfort as their slow dance of sleep went on through the night.

Yet morning came, as it must, and Jun found herself lying on her side with the length of Joe's body behind her and she was aware of every place his skin touched hers, all the way to her feet. His arms were about her waist, and his breath warmed the side of her neck. It was as if they had become one. At that moment, she could believe that she would never want to move again, but there was no mistaking the numbers on her clock, or their significance.

She sighed quietly, but Joe's fingers began lightly caressing her.

"You're awake?" she whispered.

"Yeah." He was nuzzling her neck and hair now.

"I don't want to get up, but I have to... The God Phoenix… I have to examine the technicians' repairs, make sure they're complete, do a systems check..."

"I know." He pressed his lips to the nape of her neck and held them there, but soon he released her from his arms.

She slid her legs over the side of her bed and sat upright, but lingered there. She still didn't want to leave the bed, to break the spell.

"Jun," said Joe softly, "whatever you decide to do, thank you for last night. Thank you..."

She turned her head to look at him, as he began to sit up.

"Whatever I decide to do?"

"The deal, you know, one night with me and one with... Ken, so you can... decide."

His eyes, his face, were changing as she stared at him, becoming... unreadable. Did he think…? Was he putting up his shields once again? No, no, no!

"Stop it, Joe!"

"What?"

"Stop what you're doing; stop hiding!"

"Jun, I…"

She turned herself completely, and then they were both kneeling on the bed, facing each other.

"Why do you find it so hard to believe that I could...?" She finished her words in her mind.

_That I could choose you?_

But she reached out to take his face so gently in her hands; to brush a lock of hair from his eyes. He closed his eyes.

"You wear a big number '2' long enough, it really sinks in."

She slid her hands down to his shoulders.

"What do _you_ want, Joe?"

He turned his head to the side, mouth tightened.

"Tell me what you want, Joe!"

His head snapped back to face her, his eyes found hers, and in that moment she felt as if she were seeing all the way to the bottom of his heart and mind. He wasn't hiding anything.

"I want _you_, Jun."

Years. What she was seeing now in his eyes must have been there for years, and she'd never known. She could feel herself melting, about to smile radiantly, but...

"Be more specific." She wasn't going to let him off the hook quite yet.

"I want you to be my… my lover, Jun! And only mine. And I want to be yours. Jun, I…" He faltered.

"If you want it, you can say it."

He was silent. Seconds ticked by... Was she mistaken? Had she…? No. This was real; she _knew_ it.

"I love you, Jun. God help me, I love you..."

And he crushed her in his arms, barely giving her time to whisper, "I love you too." before silencing her with the longest kiss.

Both their bracelets began chiming simultaneously, followed by Dr. Nambu's voice.

"Team, I've just received a security alert, concerning an unknown ship reportedly seen flying near New Jork's power generating complex. Details are sketchy at present, but it could well be a Galactor mecha. Assemble at once and go investigate."

She and Joe stared at one another in dismay.

"Doctor, this is G3. Unless you deem it absolutely critical, I request thirty minutes to perform a systems check on the God Phoenix before launching."

"Done." came Dr. Nambu's reply, "Get on it at once."

Yet as she now began hastily sorting the pile of clothes beside the bed into 'his' and 'hers', and getting dressed, she realized that one good thing had come from Dr. Nambu's orders. When she next saw Ken, they would be in Birdstyle, and therefore completely in professional mode. She wouldn't have to think about what to say to him until much later, or even until tonight. She would have to see him alone tonight, all night.

That was the deal.

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	7. Chapter 7

Fortunately, the God Phoenix had been adequately repaired and was ready for departure. The Swan hadn't even needed the entire thirty minutes she had asked for. The Owl reported similar status at the engine core.

As soon as they had called the all-clear, the other three members of the Science Ninja Team boarded, everyone taking their seats and preparing for departure; the standard round of checks being performed as briskly and efficiently as usual.

But today was different.

Today, the Eagle hadn't looked at anyone as he had boarded, and there was an indefinable tension in the air. Or was the Swan just imagining it?

Looking at the tightness in the Condor's jaw, she knew she wasn't.

The trip to New Jork was a short one, and she was kept busy analyzing the data reports that had come in to the ISO about this unknown ship. Apparently it had landed in the middle of Times Square, which meant that it wasn't the usual massive Galactor mecha.

Digging further, she discovered images of the craft, taken only minutes ago, showing that it was a smooth, unbroken sphere, silver in color, approximately five meters in diameter. The local authorities had cordoned the area off, and were attempting to evacuate as many citizens as possible, but the curiosity of the average Amerian (not to mention the Amerian reporters) were making such a thing difficult.

When they were less than a kilometer away, the God Phoenix came into scanning range, and the Swan initiated an analysis of her own, assisted by the Swallow. The results of their work made her gasp.

"Ken, it's a bomb!" she cried, turning to face the front of the Bridge and address the Eagle. "It's powerful enough to obliterate the entire city of New Jork! We have to begin evacuation procedures immediately!"

"I'm on it." the Condor replied, sending out a transmission to the ISO's local branch, and the relevant authorities.

"What do you recommend...?"

The Eagle's words were cut off as an image of a purple-masked madman filled the main viewscreen.

"Greetings, people of New Jork!" laughed Berg Katse. "I sent you a gift. Isn't it beautiful?" An image of the silver sphere appeared momentarily, before returning to the Galactor Leader. "In case you haven't already guessed, it's a bomb! If the ISO doesn't hand over all of the data on their Mantle Plan to Galactor in the next twenty minutes, it will go off! And then, no more New Jork!"

The image abruptly ended, and the Science Ninja Team looked at each other in horror.

"Jun, can you defuse the bomb?" the Eagle asked sharply, attempting to get a grip on their options.

"I think so..." the Swan's fingers flew across the controls as she analyzed the bomb's capabilities. "Yes. I can, but..."

"But what?" Gatchaman asked.

"The interior of the bomb... it's heat sensitive." the Swan explained. "Any rise in temperature, even a few hundredths of a degree, could cause it to go off prematurely."

"It's not that big! That could happen just by having someone enter the thing!" the Swallow exclaimed.

"Not if that person were wearing an insulating cold suit." Jun replied. "I could do it, Ken."

"Then you will." the Eagle nodded. "Suit up. We're approaching the area."

"Roger!"

The Swan ran to the back of the God Phoenix, locating the appropriate environmental gear to mask her body heat, and began putting it on.

"Status?" came Ken's voice from her wrist.

"I'm almost ready." the Swan replied. "Make sure you monitor the interior temperature of the bomb. If it changes even a hundredth of a degree, I'll have to alter my temperature controls. You'll need to keep a sharp eye on it."

"We will."

"I appreciate it."

The joke had been weak, but even so, it fell flat. Normally Ken would have said something encouraging to her, but today he was all business. It wasn't until now that she realized how even his usual dutiful exterior had always held some warmth for her.

Now that warmth was gone.

She pushed the thought from her mind. It was her body warmth she had to worry about now. Suited up, she moved toward the G-4, where the Swallow was waiting to transfer her down to the ground and the waiting time bomb.

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The Eagle, the Condor, and the Owl kept their eyes glued to the viewscreen, watching the G-4 approach the silver device and let the Swan out in her environmental gear. She approached the sphere, accessing a panel on the exterior. The Swallow sprayed the air around her with cooling gasses as she opened it and went inside, before closing the panel behind her.

"We have ten minutes before Katse's deadline." the Condor announced grimly.

"Interior temperature at 15.26 degrees Celsius." the Eagle reported. "Her entrance didn't alter it."

"Good." Ryu breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes glued to the temperature readout. On the ground, the Swallow paced nervously back and forth outside of his vehicle, ready for a quick getaway, if necessary.

"I'm in." the Swan's voice crackled over their bracelets. "It's a pretty standard Galactor design, other than the size and heat-sensitive atmosphere. It's not going to be a problem. Just keep an eye on that temperature."

"You can trust us, Jun." the Condor replied, just before the transmission ended.

"What do you mean by that?" the Eagle asked coldly, turning around in his seat to glare at the Condor.

"Just what I said." the Condor snorted. "We'll keep her safe."

"If you say so." the Eagle replied derisively.

"Look, Ken, just because you're sore about last night..."

"I'm not sore!" the Eagle growled, in a tone that clearly stated that he was.

The Owl was gaping at both of them, his head swiveling back and forth in amazement.

"Whatever you say, Ken." the Condor stated disbelievingly.

"We made an agreement." the Eagle said flatly. "And I expect you both to stick to your sides of it."

"Whoever said we wouldn't?" the Condor asked. "Don't you trust us?"

"I did trust you... and then last night I discovered that..."

"Don't blame this on me, Ken! It's not my fault you're such a cold-hearted, pig-headed slave to duty!"

"What did you call me?"

The tension between the two men was palpable, and the Owl shook in fear, uncertain of what was occurring between his two commanding officers.

A harsh, beeping sound cut through the angry silence on the Bridge.

"The temperature!" Ryu cried, turning back to the readout at his station. "Jun, alter your suit by three hundredths of a degree downward..."

"Altering." came the Swan's voice, cool and professional, with none of the panic the Owl was displaying. "I defused the bomb, so everything should be just... what's going on?"

The silver sphere was vibrating, and without warning it began to spin rapidly.

"Jinpei, get the hell out of there!" screamed Ken into his bracelet. The Swallow was already back inside of the G-4, and the yellow and red buggy shot up toward the God Phoenix as quickly as it could.

"Jun! Jun!" the Eagle tried to contact the Swan on his bracelet. But the communication channel had gone dead.

"We have to get Jun out of there!" Joe shouted. "I'm going down..."

"If you do that, we'll all die!" Ken yelled. "You're staying here, and the God Phoenix is leaving! That's an order, Joe! And Ryu, you take off the moment Jinpei is back!"

The G-4 docked, and a shaking Owl pushed his control levers, sending the God Phoenix rocketing away from the area.

"No, I won't...we can't..." the Condor protested, even as they moved away. His fist was raised, ready to strike at the Eagle.

But the Condor's words were cut off as a large burst of green fire and smoke shot out of the top of the silver sphere, which was still displayed on the main viewscreen. Yet it wasn't an explosion...

"Plasma jets!" The Owl's jaw dropped.

And then the sphere dropped into the ground, and out of sight.

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Inside the sphere, its sudden spinning descent into the ground hurled Jun up against its interior. Its initial blast of speed diminished somewhat, and the spinning slowed, but she sensed that it was still tunneling deep into the ground at a rapid speed. Where was it taking her?

Suddenly it stopped descending; but after a few seconds of stillness, it began moving again, this time in a sideways direction, at the same high velocity. At least it was no longer spinning. Was she in some kind of tunnel now? She raised her bracelet to her mouth, to contact the others, but…

What was that?

A hissing sound came from inside the sphere. Jun looked up in alarm to see a cloudy white gas flowing into the sphere from tiny vents all over its interior; too many for her to possibly be able to block them all up.

Poison? At the very least it was certainly some kind of knock-out gas. Either way, she was determined to inhale as little of it as possible.

Fortunately, she was trained for this; they all were. Being able to stay under water for extended periods of time, staying alive in enclosed air-tight spaces, resisting being gassed… She could do it.

But not indefinitely. Every second was vital; contacting the team would have to wait.

She lay down on the floor and began the exercises to slow her heart rate, lower her metabolism, and breathe as little as possible. She knew that she was being taken somewhere, and she wanted to still be alive, and conscious, when she got there.

Minutes went by, how many she couldn't be sure; she was in a trance-like state, only minimally aware of her surroundings, breathing very, very slowly...

Was her bracelet chiming?

But she could feel her mind clouding, her surroundings fading...

The gas was too strong, or there was too much of it; she wasn't going to be able to hold out...

Noises, faint as if from far, far away... barely registering in her befuddled mind...

She fought it; fought the grey and fuzzy void that sought to swallow her mind; it seemed the sphere had stopped moving... she could hear noises... voices... very faint... it was all fading away...

But with the last vestige of thought and movement she possessed, she rapped her bracelet hard against the floor of the sphere.

Birdscramble...

And all was dark.

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	8. Chapter 8

Joe, Ken and Ryu stared at the viewscreen, horrified.

Jinpei burst onto the bridge.

"Onechan!" he cried out, as he too saw the hole where the sphere had been, now filled with churned earth and debris left in the sphere's wake.

"It was a trap!" yelled Ken, slamming his fist on the console. "A win-win for Galactor -either they blew up the city or they captured whichever of us went in to defuse the bomb!"

Joe was finding it impossible to move or speak. No, no, no...

This couldn't be happening; not again...

"I'm sure they still want the Mantle Project data, but now they'll use Jun as the bargaining chip, not the bomb." said Ken.

"Onechan! Onechan!" called Jinpei into his bracelet, frantically. But there was no response.

Dr. Nambu's face appeared on screen.

"Gatchaman, report!"

"They've got Jun. We don't know where they've taken her and we can't follow."

"Yes," said Dr. Nambu, his face stern, "Berg Katse has just told me that he will release her, but only in exchange for the Mantle Project data. Otherwise he will kill her, he says, in thirty minutes."

There was silence all across the bridge. They knew -they all knew- but it was too terrible to speak of...

Sacrifice.

As Science Ninjas, they had all pledged themselves to do whatever it took to defend the Earth, and if necessary, to sacrifice themselves to accomplish that.

A city of millions was one thing, but a single Science Ninja was another.

The Mantle Project data would _never_ be given to Galactor in return for Jun's life.

"Doctor," cried Ken, "You have to buy us more time! Tell Katse you'll comply, but drag it out as long as you can, and assemble a plausible file of fake data, or mostly fake data! Anything that could fool Galactor long enough..."

"We think alike. I'm compiling erroneous data as we speak. I'll get back to you very soon."

Galactor will kill her, thought Joe. Even if we gave them the real data, they'd never keep a bargain. They'll kill her. Win-win for Galactor...

All their bracelets began flashing. It was a Birdscramble from Jun!

It was exactly what Joe needed to free himself from the stupor they were mired in.

"I'm on it!" he yelled and dove for his station, to trace the signal's origin point.

"She's ten miles away... about thirty meters underground! The location is..."

He stared at his screen.

"She's somewhere underneath the power generating complex that supplies New Jork."

"Good work, G2." said Ken. "Now find me complete and detailed specs for that complex. Dr. Nambu's bought us some time with delay tactics, so we can study the layout of the complex, determine the best routes in and out…"

"Fuck that, Ken!" yelled Joe, "I'm going in there, right now!"

"No, Joe!" Ken was glaring at him, his posture ramrod straight and rigid. "I want to save her just as much as you do, but we have to use our brains here!"

"You do whatever you want with your brain, Ken! I'm out of here!"

He ran off the bridge, straight to his G-2.

All he could think of were Jun's words from yesterday, as he lay beside her on the floor of the God Phoenix's bridge.

_But there's only one problem... I don't want to end up dead..._

He had brought this on her; he was cursed by fate, and now he'd brought it on Jun...

He would save her, or die trying! There was no other option for him now.

He hit the button to activate the docking clamps and lower his car to the ground, trying very hard not to think about what he'd do if Ken had overridden them from bridge.

But the God Phoenix's nose opened and he descended to the ground. He hit the gas and drove as fast as he possibly could towards the power generating complex.

There was only one problem: his bracelet was now silent. During the few moments it had taken him to get to the G-2 and lower it to the ground, the Birdscramble had stopped. Joe didn't even want to think about what that meant.

He had to keep going on the assumption that Jun was alive, because he couldn't deal with thinking about the alternative. This was _his_ fault. He and Ken had been arguing. He had told Jun that she could trust them, but they had been too distracted to watch the temperature readings.

And this wasn't the first time.

The Condor recalled punching the Eagle in the jaw, sending him reeling to the ground, at the Monmouth Reservoir. Ken had agreed to burn the Jigokillers flowers... to kill Jun...

But in the end, it had been _Joe_ who had pushed the button. It had been _Joe_ who had killed her, as she had been trapped in the flowers.

But she had come back to them.

She had come back to them, and he had sworn to himself that he would never bring harm to her again. Yet today he had broken his promise, and now Jun was at Berg Katse's mercy.

He would find her. He had to.

Grimly, the G-2 dove into the sphere's tunnel, barreling at full speed into the Earth.

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Her mouth was dry, and tasted like cardboard.

Her eyes felt like they were glued shut.

Her muscles ached and burned as if they were on fire.

But she was alive.

As her mind came awake, she took note of her surroundings. The textured metal floor beneath her was familiar, and she was still wearing her environmental suit.

She was still in the sphere! Yet there was a breeze. The large access panel must be gone.

Slowly, she cracked open one eyelid to confirm her supposition, then shut it again. She did not want her captors to know that she was awake and aware.

There were distant voices. She wasn't certain how close they were, but she didn't dare move to tap out another Birdscramble. The voices were getting closer.

"Is she awake, yet?"

"Naw. Lord Katse said that the dosage of gas she was given should keep her out for another couple of hours at least."

Silently, Jun thanked the training techniques that had allowed her to breathe in far less of the white gas than she might otherwise have done.

"So, we could just go in there? I've always wanted to see what the Swan had under her skirt."

"She's not even wearing her skirt, dumbass! She's wearing some kind of white suit."

"Oh. Well, what's she wearing underneath it?"

Mentally, Jun groaned. These had to be goons.

"If she's out for a couple of hours, I suppose we could check and see..."

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you."

This last voice was familiar to the Swan, and she had to put forth a significant effort to prevent herself from shivering in distaste.

"Lord Katse!" She could practically hear the goons' heels snapping together.

"She is a Science Ninja!" Katse lectured. "Never underestimate any of them! No matter what they look like, they are all dangerous enemies of Galactor!"

"Yes, Sire!"

"Besides which, we need her to remain exactly as she is." Katse smirked. "We have to convince those idiots at the ISO that we're going to kill her. As long as she doesn't move, she'll look dead."

"So... we're _not_ going to kill her?" the goons sounded confused.

"Not right away." Katse laughed nastily. "I'm sure there's plenty of valuable information the Swan could give us, if the questions were asked in the _right_ way."

"Ohhhhhh!" the goons oohed and ahhed.

"But I told the ISO that we'd kill her, so we'll have to make them _think_ that she's dead." Katse explained. "The data file has been received, so it's time to contact Dr. Nambu."

She heard the sound of buttons being punched on a nearby console, and the distinctive humming of a triple-secure datalink comm line being established.

"Dr. Nambu, I'm shocked at you!" Katse sneered.

"What's wrong?" The Doctor's voice sounded calm and even, as usual, but since she was familiar with the man, Jun could detect a hint of nervousness.

"These data you sent to us on the Mantle Plan are falsified." Katse laughed triumphantly. "I've found contradictions in here that can't possibly be correct."

"We must have accidentally sent you some older files." Nambu replied smoothly.

"Or you were stalling for time?" Katse smirked. "Don't try to fool me, Doctor. I know your little games. As you can see, you have already paid the price. The Swan is dead."

At that moment, Jun knew that she was being used to trick Dr. Nambu and the other members of the Science Ninja Team. She could not allow that to happen.

She sprang to her feet, her leg kicking out as she flew through the air toward the purple-caped back in front of her. Briefly, she caught a glimpse of Dr. Nambu's image on a small monitor next to the Galactor Leader, but she focused on her target as she thrust....

The collision that occurred was not the one she expected. A blue energy shield coalesced around her as she hit the force field that existed between herself and Berg Katse. She collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air.

"That bitch!" Katse screamed, and the transmission was instantly cut. "Now that they know she's alive, they'll be coming after her! Set up the dampening field so she can't transmit on that damn bracelet. Leave the power complex and set a course for Galactor base 36924!"

The Galactor turned to face the Swan, his eyes cold and venomous.

"You'll pay for this." he threatened. "You'll be sorry you ever decided to cross Galactor!"

Katse walked over to the nearest wall, which contained a computer station, and did something that she couldn't make out from where she was standing. Then he turned to look at Jun, his lips twisted in a vicious smirk, before calling out to the goons.

"I believe some of you boys expressed an interest in seeing what's under her suit. Well, now I say 'go for it'! I'll give you, oh, ten minutes to do your best… or should I say, worst!"

The few goons in the vicinity turned to Katse.

"Uh, Lord Katse, there's only three of us and…"

"Idiot! That's about to change. I just summoned reinforcements."

As he spoke, a brigade of goons, dozens and dozens of them, began to file into the room.

Jun looked over her shoulder. The sphere was completely blocking the tunnel through which it had arrived. There was no getting out that way. She was a trained fighter, a warrior, but even she felt pangs of fear as she saw how many goons she was facing. She was still feeling some effects of the gas; she wasn't at her best.

"I'd love to stay and..." Katse snickered here, "watch, but I have other things to see to. Don't kill her; just make sure she's on the mecha in ten minutes and preferably still capable of speech. I have so many questions for her!"

Katse strode away quickly, his cape flowing behind him.

"Oh, and the force field will be down any second now."

He went through a door, which slid shut behind him.

Jun reached for her yo-yo, and stood tensed and ready. She was vastly outnumbered, and suffering residual effects from the gas, but -damn it!- she was the Swan.

And they began closing in on her, so many of them...

She became a kicking and punching whirlwind; over and over her yo-yo flew out, never missing. Katse had underestimated her after all, yet more kept coming, and the ones piling up on the floor around her kept getting in her way too.

But her balance and speed were not what they should have been, and still more kept coming...

Some were managing to get close enough to strike and grab at her now, and it was becoming all she could do to evade them. She was breathing too hard, beginning to feel dizzy.

A goon grabbed her from behind, his arm around her throat; two more tried to seize her legs. No way in hell! She sent them flying with kicks to their faces but two more replaced them, and she couldn't seem to shake the one who was trying to choke her.

And for the first time she began to feel genuinely afraid, afraid that she wasn't going to be able to win this fight.

The goon was still choking her, and others were closing in, leering horribly.

There was a roar, and the back of the room flew apart. The sphere went flying upward and crashed back down, and debris flew everywhere.

A second later, the sphere was followed by the G-2. It screeched to a halt in the center of the room, with goons beneath its wheels and goons sent flying into the walls as they struck its wheels. Joe leaped out of the G-2, wings spread, and flew towards her.

The goon holding her in a chokehold didn't stand a chance now; none of them did! Her spirits soared and she found renewed energy. Joe was at her side and they fought as one. A few goons escaped, fleeing in terror, but only a few.

The fight was over.

Joe pulled her into his arms, crushing her against his chest.

"Jun, Jun, Jun..."

"I'm okay, Joe," she whispered, "I'm okay now."

"So what's taking so… _What_?" It was Katse's voice, rising to an angry shriek. Jun and Joe scanned the room instantly, only to see Katse's face on the computer station's screen. Clearly he could see both them and the piles of goons scattered across the floor.

"Well, it looks like you won't be coming with me after all, Swan. But mark my words, very soon you'll wish that you had, very soon!"

The screen went blank.

Jun raced over to the computer station and Joe was right behind her. She was familiar with Galactor computer systems and it didn't take her very long to find out what Katse had meant.

"Joe, what is this place?" Her voice was hard and tense.

"We're under the New Jork power generating complex."

"Joe, a countdown sequence has been initiated! There's another bomb here, like the one I defused before, and it's going to detonate in ten minutes, but I don't know where it is!'

Joe felt sick. Win-win for Galactor, again.

"Jun, there's a nuclear generator here. If this place blows... We're only about ten miles from the center of New Jork!"

She understood immediately. Millions would be killed, irradiated...

"You have to leave, Jun! You can drive the G-2 back up that tunnel. I'll find the bomb!"

"Joe, I'm the explosives expert. I'm not leaving!"

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	9. Chapter 9

Ken was desperately studying specs for the power generating complex, and he had a plan now. They would fly the God Phoenix into…

Dr. Nambu appeared on the screen again.

"I have news! Katse discovered that we gave him false Mantle Project data but I was able to see Jun briefly during our communication. She is alive, although Katse was apparently hoping to make me believe otherwise!"

Ken felt himself go almost limp with relief. Ever since Joe had gone tearing off half-cocked to find her, he'd been plagued with doubt, wondering if he should have gone too. But she was alive; Galactor hadn't killed her.

Or at least, he realized, not yet. This was far from over.

"We believe she's under New Jork's power generating complex, Doctor. I'll take the God Phoenix in immediately; I have a plan for how to do it."

"Yes, do that, Gatchaman." And Dr. Nambu was gone.

They were in the air again, flying low, and nearing the complex from the direction Ken had determined would make their approach as inconspicuous as possible.

"Aniki!" said Jinpei, "A ship just took off from the complex and it's flying away very fast!"

"Bring it up on screen!"

He, Jinpei and Ryu stared in horror; only Galactor could make a ship that looked like that.

"Could Galactor have Jun on that ship now?" asked Ryu.

Ken raised his bracelet, trying to reach Jun yet again, but he received no response. That probably meant she was still a prisoner.

He tried contacting Joe but there was no answer there either. Were they both prisoners, or was Joe just refusing to answer?

Where was Jun? Was she in the complex or on that mecha? Damn it! Which one should he choose?

He'd spent a near-sleepless night, brooding about Jun, and now he couldn't seem to think straight about this mission either!

But he had to make what could be a life or death decision about her! He rallied all his concentration, in order to think logically.

It made sense that Katse, realizing that he wasn't going to get the Mantle Project data by threatening to kill the Swan, would try to flee but bring Jun along as a prisoner.

He would pursue the mecha. Granted, they wouldn't be able to fire missiles -and that was Joe's fault!- but he still had his G-1 jet.

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"Where would Katse put that bomb?" Joe muttered, pacing the small space within the sphere, heedless of the goon bodies he was crushing beneath his blue boots. "If I were an evil madman..."

Jun's face frowned in concentration as she stared at the computer screen in front of her. This information had to be in the Galactor systems. It _had_ to! If only she could find it...

She turned around to speak to Joe, and then she saw it.

She was outside the sphere, and from this vantage point she could see that it was sitting on some kind of metal platform. Some kind of docking station, where it connected with the rest of the base...

She turned back to the computer screen, and quickly found what she had been seeking.

"Joe, the sphere has two bombs!" she cried. "There's a high-yield bomb which I already defused, and a second, smaller one which is now set to go off. It's connected to another system and when this one explodes, it will remotely set off the power generator!"

"You defuse this small bomb, and I'll go for the one at the power generator." Joe ordered.

"No, we don't have time." Jun shook her head. "We could never get there in the few minutes we have left. You defuse the small bomb in the sphere, and I'll try to disconnect the sphere from the system, so that it doesn't trigger the power generator."

"Agreed." Joe nodded curtly, getting to work. It was another win-win for Galactor. If the bomb under the power generator didn't go off, the smaller bomb would, killing two members of the Science Ninja Team.

He couldn't afford to fail now.

Knowing it was there, the Condor was now easily able to see an indication of the armed bomb aboard the sphere's control panels. He wasn't as good as the Swan was at this kind of thing, but he had to try. She had certainly taken on the more difficult task of the two.

He located the appropriate panel and literally ripped it off of the wall, exposing the tangle of wires there. He had to cut them, in order. First, the charge line, then the power source, then the detonation line, and then the secondary power source. All of the boring lessons he had sat through at the ISO training sessions came back to him in a rush, and he thanked every higher power he could think of for his photographic memory. Pulling out a feather shuriken, he searched through the mess of multicolored wires and found the first one he was looking for.

Snap! The charge wire was cut, using the tip of the shuriken. Now for the main power source... He cut that wire and began searching for the detonation line.

"I did it!" Jun shouted happily. "The sphere is disconnected from the power generator! What about you, Joe? We have another twenty seconds, I think..."

But the Swan's count was off. Just as the Condor was reaching for the detonation line, the bomb exploded.

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Jun screamed as the bomb went off, instinctively throwing herself away from the blast and attempting to cover herself with her wings. But she didn't have her wings. She was still wearing the environmental suit over her Birdstyle. The hallway that she was standing in shook, and large rocks and boulders crashed around her. She pushed herself into a small cavity under the control panel, which protected her from the worst of the damage, but all of these things were done unconsciously, out of habit. Her mind was focused on the horrifying sight in front of her.

Rocks and earth were showering onto the pile of goon bodies that lay between the Swan and the Condor. She cried out, but could not hear him respond. With growing horror, she feared that in coming here to save her, Joe had offered up his own life instead. And just as she had realized...

No! No! It couldn't be true!

But as the dust settled and she stared at the wall of stones in front of her, a terrifying doubt took root in her soul.

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"Ken, that mecha's only one kilometer ahead of us now. It's fast, but we're just a little faster." gloated Ryu.

"Onechan, Aniki-Joe, we're coming to save you!" sang out Jinpei.

"What are you going to do, Ken? We can't fire missiles without the G-2, and even if we could, we couldn't take the chance of blowing that mecha up with them still on board." said Ryu.

"No, but we could have used missiles to cripple it enough to make it easier to infiltrate," said Ken. "As it is, though, you'll have to try to get me close enough to be able to soar to it and find some way to get inside."

"Roger." said Ryu. "It won't take long to… Whoa!"

He abruptly lurched the God Phoenix to port, sending Jinpei and Ken tumbling out of their chairs, but dodging a Galactor missile.

"They're firing on us, Ken! It's not going to be easy to get near that thing!"

Damn you, Joe, thought Ken, We wouldn't be having this problem if you'd stayed here!

"Do the best that you can, Ryu. I'll head for the dome."

As he ran from the bridge, into the corridor behind, his bracelet chimed.

It was Jun.

"Ken, where are you?" She sounded frantic, nearly hysterical. He needed to get to her quickly!

"Jun, stay calm. I'm coming to get you; I'll be inside the mecha in less than a minute!"

"Mecha? Ken, I'm not in any mecha!"

What? He'd been so certain...

"I'm with Joe! I'm driving the G-2 through an underground tunnel from the power generating complex back to Times Square. You have to meet us at Times Square, Ken! Joe's hurt! I can't get him to wake up, and I think he's got internal injuries -I don't know- there was an explosion and... and... God, Ken, he's so pale and he's barely breathing! And he saved me, Ken! He can't die! He can't!"

The God Phoenix pitched again, sending the Eagle staggering into the wall of the corridor.

"Ken, answer me!"

Ken's mind was spinning. If he turned back to Times Square, the mecha would escape. _Katse_ would escape...

But the sound of utter anguish in Jun's voice...

And Joe. However angry he'd been with Joe, at that moment Ken knew that whatever was happening lately with Jun, Joe was his friend. Joe had fought at his side more times than he could count, risked his life for him, and more than once, saved his life.

Today Joe had listened to his heart, followed his instincts, and he'd saved Jun.

Ken knew that he had to do the same thing. He would call off the pursuit of the mecha, and go back to New Jork.

"Jun, we'll be right there to meet you, as fast as the God Phoenix can go!"

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	10. Chapter 10

"Joe is stable, but critical," said Dr. Nambu, removing his glasses and wearily rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Critical, because he still hasn't regained consciousness."

Joe was lying in a bed in the Crescent Base's medical ward, eyes closed and unmoving, surrounded by monitoring machines.

Ken glanced around at Jinpei, Ryu and Jun. Grief and concern marked all their faces, but none so much as Jun's. The Eagle could tell that she was struggling to hold back tears.

"The longer he remains this way, the worse his prognosis becomes. I'll be honest with you all: if he doesn't wake up in the next twelve hours, the outlook is grim."

Jun turned away, covering her eyes with one hand. She was in so much pain...

All of the jealousy and resentment that Ken had been feeling since the day before seemed to have faded into the background of his mind; all he wanted to do now was help Jun.

"You should all try to get some sleep," said Dr. Nambu, "It's late and you've all been on your feet since early this morning."

"Come on, Jinpei," said Ryu, "I know where they keep the ice cream in the cafeteria, but I don't feel like eating alone."

With a final, sad look at Joe, Jinpei left with Ryu.

"I'm not leaving him," said Jun hollowly, "I'll stay here."

"Jun," said Dr. Nambu, "you're clearly the most exhausted one here and…"

"Let her stay, Doctor, please." said Ken earnestly.

But Jun looked at him suddenly, as one remembering.

"Or maybe..." she said haltingly, "I should stay in my room tonight. Would you... walk there with me, Ken?"

What? Of course: the deal! She'd remembered that she'd promised to spend tonight alone with him.

And here she was, still willing to stand by her promise, if he chose to hold her to it. But Ken knew that there was no way that he could do that; not tonight.

"I think you should stay here, Jun. Doctor, I'll stay too and make sure she gets some rest here."

Dr. Nambu stared at him and Jun for a moment, but he acquiesced and left, closing the door behind him.

"Thank you, Ken." said Jun quietly.

"I know what he means to you. He means... a lot to me too."

He took her arm and steered her over to the small couch that ran along one wall. She sat down and he sat down beside her, and they watched Joe together in silence.

Soon, Jun was resting her head on his shoulder, and before long, she slept.

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Ken couldn't help staring at Jun as she lay in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder, her eyes closed... but she was far from peaceful. Her brow was furrowed, and her breathing was uneven. Her mouth had tightened into a thin line. She was beautiful, even in her state of distress.

Ken thought of the many times when he had been injured, only to wake up and find Jun next to him. Had she slept like this, by his hospital bed, waiting for him to recover? Had she been just as worried when _he_ was in the Medical Bay?

And if so, had it been _Joe_ who had held her at those times?

The feelings and emotions that had come forth during the past twenty-four hours were new to Ken... but in a way, they weren't new at all. They had _always_ been there, and he had always chosen to ignore them, as he had known was required of him. Being Gatchaman was something he took very seriously. He had always understood that it required a price, and now he was seeing just how high a price that was.

His heart ached, and Jun stirred restlessly in her sleep.

"Joe...." she mumbled into Ken's shoulder. "Don't die...."

Unconsciously, the Eagle's grip around the Swan tightened, and he dropped his head down, until it was resting lightly on hers.

"Ken, I need to speak with you."

The Eagle looked up to see Dr. Nambu in the doorway. It was evident from the Doctor's tone and his expression that he was very concerned about something.

"Yes, Hakase."

"In my office. Immediately."

There was no mistaking that tone. Ken sighed, gently laying Jun down on the small, hard couch upon which they had been sitting, then grabbing a spare blanket and covering her, before turning to face the Doctor. Nambu appeared to be impatient with the Eagle's slow pace.

The Doctor did not speak a work as they strode down the hallway to his office, and only once he and Ken were inside with the door closed did he address the Eagle again.

"I thought we had discussed this before." Nambu said angrily, his eyes boring into Ken. "Inter-personal relationships within the Science Ninja Team are not to be tolerated, Ken."

The Eagle's eyes widened as he understood what the Doctor was driving at. When he, Joe, and Ryu had been about fourteen, Dr. Nambu had called them into his office, given them an extremely brief and dry version of the Birds and the Bees, and then, in no uncertain terms, told them that nothing of the sort was ever to happen with Jun. At the time, the three boys had been alternately amused and disgusted at the thought.

Yet now...

"But, I..."

"Don't lie to me, Ken!" the Doctor raged. "Jun's as terrible a liar as you are, and I saw exactly what she meant when she asked you to walk her to her room. You turned her down, and I thought you had some sense, but just now, I came in to find the two of you in a very compromising position."

Ken's mouth fell open. He wasn't entirely certain how to respond to these accusations.

"Tell me now, Ken. Is there any kind of intimate relationship between you and Jun?"

"No." Ken said, shaking his head seriously. But inwardly he was sighing with relief that this was, in fact, an honest answer.

"And you've never initiated any kind of inappropriate behavior with your subordinate officer?"

"No, Hakase." Technically this was true as well, as Jun had initiated the kiss the previous night, and at the time she hadn't realized that it was Ken whom she was kissing.

"Good." Dr. Nambu practically sagged into his chair with relief. "I'm sorry for being so hard on you, Ken. But such a thing could be disastrous for the Science Ninja Team. When you are on a mission, in the heat of battle, you need to be able to make decisions unhindered by the complications of personal relationships."

Ken nodded, but he could not look the Doctor in the eye. Whatever Nambu might be saying, he couldn't actually prevent those feelings from existing. Ken already knew that he had a difficult time pushing those emotions aside whenever he had a hard decision to make.

Just as he had today...

"Ken."

Dr. Nambu's tone was sharp and interrogating once more. "What's going on? There's something more you're hiding from me."

Ken did not respond. He couldn't lie to Dr. Nambu, but he did not want to admit that he cared for Jun more than he should.

"Is Jun involved in a relationship with someone else?" the Doctor demanded to know.

"Well..." Ken was bewildered. He hadn't been expecting this question. "I think... maybe... there might be something going on with Joe...."

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Joe groaned. His entire body felt like a ton of bricks had been dumped on it. His mind thought back, and he realized that this wasn't too far from the truth.

"Joe!"

He opened his eyes to see the joyful face of the Swan next to him. She was holding his hand, and seeing him awake, she quickly pressed her lips to his, throwing her arms around him.

"I'm so glad you're okay." she murmured, snuggling into his chest. "I was so scared when that bomb went off..."

"What happened?" he asked. His body no longer felt any pain; only the soft warmth and love of the woman embracing him.

"I was able to pull you out and get you to the G-2. Then I contacted Ken for a pickup." Jun explained.

"You... you saved me..." Joe said, amazed. Then he began to laugh softly. "That's a switch."

"Actually, you saved me." Jun replied teasingly. "If you hadn't arrived when all of those goons were attacking me..."

"I'm glad you made it, Jun."

"You don't know how glad I am that you made it, Joe." Jun smiled. She kissed him again, and this time he responded eagerly.

"Ahem."

The coughing sound was terse and polite, and Jun stood up quickly to reveal Dr. Nambu standing in the room with them.

"Jun, you are required at a training session, immediately." the Doctor said coldly.

"Yes, Hakase." Jun bowed her head and moved quickly toward the door. Once behind Nambu's back she blew a kiss at Joe, before she left.

Dr. Nambu sat down in the chair that Jun had recently occupied, his eyes boring holes into the Condor's skull. Joe smirked. It was hardly the first time his foster father had given him such a look, and he recalled many incidents of endless lectures and remonstrations from the uptight Doctor. He was ready to deal with whatever had put a bug up Nambu's ass this time.

"Joe, you must stop seeing Jun, immediately."

Okay, not that.

No, not that at all!

He snapped upright in the bed, glaring at Dr. Nambu.

"You have no right to try to control our private lives! What makes you…?"

Joe paused; even in the midst of his burgeoning rage, he was able to reflect on the words Dr. Nambu had just used.

Stop seeing Jun... _How did he know?_

"Ken! Did Ken come running to you, telling you about Jun and me?"

Was Ken so filled with spite that he'd _actually_ ratted out Jun and him? Was he _really_ such a slime that he'd go running to Nambu in the hopes of keeping him and Jun apart? Joe couldn't believe it!

"What Ken said is not the point here, Joe. What matters is that there cannot be romantic relationships between members of the Science Ninja Team; in a military chain of command, there is no place for personal emotions that could potentially have dire effects on judgment and decision making. You were informed of this, years ago, and I…"

No, Joe was thinking, no way! After all these years, he _finally_ had the woman of his dreams -strong, fearless, smart, and sexy as all hell- and he was supposed to just give her up to satisfy some stupid, bureaucratic idiocy?

"Do you have _any idea_ how much we sacrifice to be on the Team? The price we pay? We risk being tortured, maimed and crippled; we risk being killed -_all the time_! And all of the secrets we have to keep; we can't get close to anyone outside the Team, or not for long! We give up all hope of having normal lives; we give up everything! But I _won't_ give up Jun!"

"Joe, you must understand that…"

"No! _You_ have to understand! If the day ever comes that you can prove that our performance on the Science Ninja Team is being adversely affected, then maybe you'll have a leg to stand on. But otherwise, you have no god damn right to tell us what we can and can't do! We are trained fighters -killers- we are _not_ children!"

"Joe, control yourself. This is exactly the sort of behavior that I…"

But Joe was seeing red. His emotions were the very essence of who he was; how could anyone ever think that he could just turn them on and off like... some kind of machine? He _had_ to get out of this room! He had to find Jun before Nambu, or Ken, got to her!

He flung himself out of the bed, ripping an IV from his arm, and tearing off electrode patches, but he stumbled slightly and somehow knocked over a stand holding a piece of monitoring equipment; it hit the floor with a smash of shattered glass.

"Joe, what are you doing?" cried Ken.

Ken?

Joe looked up to see Ken standing in the doorway, looking horrified.

"You!" yelled Joe. "How could you do this to me, Ken? Do this to Jun? You had your chance with her for years and it's not my fault you couldn't…"

Ken rushed towards Joe and made to grab his arms. Joe found himself actually taking a swing at Ken's face, but the Eagle caught the Condor's arms first. Joe realized he was groggy, and still feeling like utter crap, and Ken was yelling at him now.

"Calm down, Joe! You have to stop this! Is this what Jun would want you to do; attack me and Dr. Nambu? Sit down!"

Ken shoved him back onto the bed, slamming him up against the headboard. It practically knocked the wind out of Joe, and he found himself gasping for air, glaring murderously at Ken, but reflecting on his words.

Jun...

"Well," said Dr. Nambu stiffly, "I think you've just demonstrated my point very clearly, Joe. We'll talk about this later, when you will hopefully be able to control yourself."

He turned and walked out of the room.

"Joe!" pleaded Ken desperately, "It's not what you think! Look, just stay here. Stay here! Calm down!" He cast a worried look at the doorway.

Joe was actually feeling dizzy, which was the only thing keeping him from charging down the hallway after Dr. Nambu. But he wasn't about to admit that. And his flare of anger was no longer quite so hot.

"The least he could have said was 'I'm so glad you're not dead, Joe! Thank you, you and Jun, for saving New Jork.'" he muttered.

"He was getting readouts from your monitoring equipment in his office; he knew you were awake before he came here. But yeah, he could have been... nicer."

Maybe he would have, Joe conceded to himself, if he hadn't walked in on Jun nearly lying on top of me, kissing me. The man was so damned old school!

"I'm glad you're not dead, Joe, but you look like shit. Stay here."

Ken strode quickly out of the room, clearly trying to catch up to Dr. Nambu.

The Eagle followed the Doctor back to his office and soon found himself, once again, sitting across from Nambu's desk.

"Doctor, you... could have handled that a little better," said Ken tentatively, "Joe can be..."

"I have reasons, Ken. I didn't do what I just did out of some perverse desire to hurt Joe."

He stood up and walked away to the undersea window.

"Many years ago, I needed an agent to infiltrate a small but important country, deep under cover for a long-term mission. The best man for the job had a wife and small child, but he was willing to take the mission anyway. At first, he thought he'd be able to visit or communicate secretly with his family while away on assignment, but I had to explain to him that the risk was too great -both for them, and for himself- and he finally agreed to cut off all contact with them, and to fake his death in an aviation accident."

Ken felt his breath catch.

"That man prevented the wealthy and industrialized nation of Hontwal, and its assets, from falling completely under Galactor's control; that man saved your life on numerous occasions; that man thwarted the V2 plan. That man understood the necessity of personal sacrifice for the greater good."

He turned from the window to look at Ken.

"You know who I'm talking about, of course."

Ken closed his eyes.

"Yes, Doctor."

In that moment, Ken was ashamed to think that just a couple of days ago he'd been hoping he could somehow have a relationship with Jun, win her away from Joe before it was too late...

But, but... There was a small, niggling doubt in his mind. Yesterday, he'd run the mission absolutely by the book; done everything just as Dr. Nambu would have wanted. But in the end, Jun would have been assaulted and abducted by Galactor, or the city of New Jork would have been destroyed... if it hadn't been for Joe's crazy actions.

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	11. Chapter 11

"Jun!" called out Joe, walking into the gymnasium.

She turned, her face aglow. She was still floating on clouds...

"Joe! I was just going to come to see you. I think I'm all finished here."

He kept walking towards her.

"Shouldn't you still be in bed? Did Dr. Nambu clear you to be up and walking around?" she asked, a bit nervously.

Joe's face hardened. But as soon as he was near her, he wrapped both arms around her and held her close, almost too close.

"Joe, is something wrong?"

"Dr. Nambu has ordered me to stop 'seeing' you."

"What?"

"I'm sorry, Jun. I should have told you, but after all these years I never realized he'd still care..."

"What do you mean?" she asked, feeling anxiety rise within her.

"Years ago, he strictly forbade me, Ken, and Ryu from ever having an 'intimate, personal' relationship with you." She couldn't see his face, but she could feel the muscles in his shoulders tightening.

"But," she gasped, horrified, "he can't do that, can he?"

"He sure as hell thinks he can, and he's got Ken on his side. He said, years ago, that relationships between team members adversely affect their performance."

No! This was so unfair! She and Joe had just saved New Jork! Their newly formed relationship, if anything, had made them fight that much better and harder against Galactor! But if Dr. Nambu had ordered them to stay apart, what could they possibly do?

She could feel tears stinging her eyes, and she held Joe even tighter.

"But there's something we can do, Jun."

"There is?" She couldn't imagine what, but she was desperate to believe there was a way...

"You and I both tell Nambu and Ken to go to hell, and we stay together!"

"What?" Jun wasn't certain that she had heard Joe right. "Tell Dr. Nambu to...? Joe, maybe there's a middle ground. We can reason with him..."

"He's already made up his mind, Jun."

"But we could try. Ken would support us, I _know_ he would."

"No." Joe growled. "Ken is the one who threw us under the bus in the first place. He's with Dr. Nambu on this."

"What?" Jun was shocked. "No, that can't be right..."

"It is, Jun, I..." Joe's words cut off as a wave of dizziness passed over him. Suddenly all of the pain he had felt returned to his body with full force, slamming him from all sides, sending him almost to his knees.

"Joe!" Jun cried, distressed. "We have to get you back to Medical Bay!"

"Don't leave me, Jun..." Joe insisted, grabbing the Swan's arm tightly. "If they separate us, who knows what Nambu will do...?"

Jun nodded.

"I'm not leaving you, Joe." she agreed. "Not when you're like this."

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"He's not rational, Jun. You have to see that."

Jun sat next to Joe's hospital bed, his hand in hers. The Condor had been sedated 'for his own protection' while the mess in his room was being cleaned up and the necessary equipment replaced. She glanced down at Joe's face, which had smoothed out into a peaceful expression as he slept.

She knew he was depending on her.

"I'm not entirely certain what he did that was 'irrational', Hakase." she said slowly. She knew she had to choose her words carefully with the Doctor.

"He destroyed this room in a fit of anger! He left his sickbed to go wandering around the halls!" Nambu pointed out, in a tone that suggested that Jun, too, was being defiant.

"He wanted to find me, and let me know what was going on." Jun replied in as calm a voice as she could manage. "He didn't want me to be blindsided. It was his concern for me that made him get out of bed. The equipment was an accident. I'm sure he didn't realize he was attached to it."

"But that's just it, Jun." the Doctor insisted. "He wasn't thinking rationally. He didn't think to just call you on his bracelet. He didn't think that he might be attached to machines, having just woken up in the hospital. These things would have occurred to a normal person."

"Are you saying that Joe's _not_ normal?" Jun's cheeks reddened in anger.

"We both know that Joe has always had trouble with his temper." Nambu explained, as if he were lecturing to a small child. "When he's angry, or emotional, he doesn't always think straight. This is _exactly_ why I cannot allow..."

"What caused him to be that way was what you said to him." Jun said coldly. "Joe is _not_ irrational; he's angry, and he has a right to be. I know that you raised us, and I respect you as a father, Hakase. But this isn't right. Joe and I deserve a little happiness. Please don't drive a wedge between us, by denying us something worth fighting for."

"For someone who says that they respect me, you certainly are more defiant right now than you have ever been." Nambu noted sourly.

"For years, Joe has been driven by anger... by revenge." Jun went on, hoping that she was getting through to the Doctor. "He's always been so bitter; motivated by negative feelings. Isn't it better to have him motivated by _positive_ emotions? Wanting to _protect_ something, rather than destroy something? Isn't that what the Mantle Plan, the ISO, the Science Ninja Team, are all about?"

"These are semantics, Jun." Nambu dismissed the Swan's words with a sniff. "You are to leave this room and not see Joe again, except as training and missions require." The Doctor turned, moving to exit the room, simply accepting that Jun would follow his orders.

"I'm not leaving."

Dr. Nambu turned to stare at the Swan, his face incredulous.

"I'm going to stay by Joe's side." Jun said calmly. "You'll have to physically drag me out of here to make me go. And in this entire complex, there are only two people who are capable of that. One of them is lying here, next to me." Her manner was not rebellious, but there was a strength to it that clearly communicated that she meant what she said.

Without a word, Dr. Nambu strode from the room.

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Not long later, Jun looked up to see the person she had expected. She only hoped that he was there of his own accord, and not only because Dr. Nambu had sent him.

"Hello, Ken."

"Hello, Jun."

The Eagle looked around the small room awkwardly, his eyes returning to his feet. Sighing heavily, he stepped forward.

"I need you to come with me, Jun."

"Why?"

Ken's eyes lifted up, and he stared at her in amazement, as if he had not expected this response.

"I... uh... need you... for... special training..."

"I see." Jun smiled. "Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend any special training, but I'd be happy to be briefed right here." She gestured to an empty chair. "What, exactly, does this special training involve?"

Ken gulped nervously. He hated the position he had been put in. Jun was behaving perfectly reasonably, and he didn't want to have to forcibly drag her out of there, the way Dr. Nambu had suggested he might have to.

"You have to leave, Jun." he said, his tone now that of the Eagle.

"I'm not leaving, Ken. Not until Joe can come with me."

"It's just for a short while. He'll be here when you get back."

"I'm not so certain of that."

Ken looked away guiltily. He suspected that Joe would have been moved to an undisclosed location by the time Jun returned.

"You need to come, Jun." he repeated. "That's an order."

"Please don't do this, Ken." Jun said, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "It's not right. Why shouldn't Joe and I have a chance?"

"Dr. Nambu doesn't want any members of the Science Ninja Team being involved emotionally."

"But what do _you_ think, Ken?"

"Hakase has already made his decision. What _I_ think is irrelevant."

"It most certainly is not!" Jun replied.

"Dr. Nambu wants you to leave the room, and I'm here to make sure that you do, Jun."

Jun looked at Ken, her hurt expression cutting him to the core.

"Is this what it would have been like, if I had chosen you?" she asked softly.

"That's not fair, Jun."

"Answer the question, Ken."

"That's not an option. You never spent the night with me."

"But I could have, two nights ago." Jun reminded him. "You knew then, that I had already chosen Joe. Didn't you?"

"Yeah, Jun." He cast his eyes down momentarily, but then looked at her sharply. "I'm not deaf."

She could remember the cries of passion that Joe had drawn from her that night in her quarters. Had she been so loud that...? Now it was her turn to look down in embarrassment.

"Sure, Jun, you _technically_ honored the deal by asking me to take you to your quarters. But after hearing you, and knowing how you were so miserable and worried about Joe, did you honestly think I'd _want_ to spend the night with you then? So, yes, I did know that you'd chosen Joe. In hindsight, I think I knew the moment you insisted that he get the first night with you, but I wasn't willing to accept it then. But really, Jun, no guy wants to be second."

She thought back to Joe's words.

_You wear a big number two long enough..._

"Joe was ready to give _you_ the first night, if I recall!"

"Yes, I know, Jun! I know!" said Ken, clutching his head with both hands. "I'm not happy about how things are turning out, you know! I'm not on some petty crusade to make you and Joe miserable!"

"Like hell! _You_ were the one who turned us in!"

"It wasn't like that, Jun! If you really want to know who turned you in, it was _you_!"

"_Me_?" she cried indignantly.

"Yes, _you_. _You_ were the one who asked me to take you back to your quarters -right in front of Nambu- and _you_ were the one who fell asleep all snuggled against me, and he saw you. That's what freaked him out, and out of the blue he put me on the spot, demanding to know what was going on. I'm sorry, Jun, but I was caught off guard, and I'm not a good liar!"

Jun felt the blood draining from her face. _She_ had caused this whole nightmare situation? As she thought about what Ken had just said, anger rose within her, startling even her with its intensity.

"Well, no one ever told me that you guys had been ordered to keep your distance from me, and Dr. Nambu never told me to stay away from you three. Pretty damned sexist, if you ask me! Was I supposed to stay on some little pedestal of purity? Is _that_ what's pissing off the Doctor? He's just another father who can't handle the idea that his 'little princess' might be getting laid?"

"How the hell should I know, Jun? All I know is that no matter what I do, I can't win here! Either Nambu comes down on me like a ton of rocks and labels me a failure as a leader, or I lose the trust and... friendship… of the two people I care most about in this world! Do you think this is easy for me, Jun, or that I enjoy it? Let me tell you, it _isn't_ easy being Gatchaman, but someone's got to do it!"

They were both yelling at each other, faces flushed with anger, but Ken faltered, tightened his jaw and looked away.

"You can't ask me not to do my duty." he said quietly. "It's what I am."

Jun stared at him in dismay, feeling her own anger cool to sadness. Had Joe ever considered what happened if you wore a big number "1" long enough?

"I'm sorry. I see... I understand that you... carry burdens the rest of us don't. I guess that lately, I've been angry with you without even knowing it; angry at you for ignoring me all this time. But now I understand better why..."

Ken looked at her again, his jaw still tight but his eyes so sad.

"You _have_ to leave this room, Jun, or I have to make you."

Jun closed her eyes and bowed her head; she had to think.

_Ken would support us, I know he would._

That's what she'd said to Joe in the gymnasium, and some part of her still believed it. She just needed to find the right words...

"Ken, Dr. Nambu is a good man, even a great man, but he _can_ be wrong. He's a scientist; for him, everything is theoretical, and black and white. He sits behind a desk every day, removed from the chaos and the mess that we know all too well! You know Joe, Ken. You know him so well, and you know that his temper, his impulsiveness, and his emotions aren't a liability. They're his best qualities, and they're what make him the perfect counterpart to you in the midst of a mission. You think; he feels. If he's in a relationship with me, how, I ask you, is that going to make him any different from the man he already is? He would still be the exact same Joe! And look at me and Jinpei; he's my little brother! I remember, every day, carrying him around all day at the orphanage when he was a baby, taking care of him and feeling his little arms cling tightly to me! And yet he and I go on missions together now, and he gets himself into terribly dangerous situations, but have you ever seen me lose it or behave irresponsibly during a mission because of my relationship with Jinpei?"

Without even realizing she'd done it, she'd taken Ken's hand between her own.

"You're the leader, Ken. Well, I say, be a leader! If you support Joe and me, if the three of us stand united in this, then Dr. Nambu will have to back down." She laughed bitterly. "What could he do? Replace all three of us? I don't think so!"

Ken was shaking his head.

"Jun, you don't know what you're asking. He's almost the head of the International Science Organization! Everything we have comes through him, and we need to have -_I need to have_- his trust, or it will all fall apart. I can't just force his hand and expect there to be no serious repercussions!"

Jun turned away from Ken, feeling numb and sick. She had tried, she had tried... She got up and went over to Joe, still sedated and sleeping, and leaned down to kiss him.

"How long can I stay here, Ken, before I have to leave?" she asked quietly, still looking at Joe.

"Dr. Nambu's not at the Base right now; he got called away suddenly to go meet Director Anderson. So... you've got a few hours at least."

She didn't answer him; she just lay down on the bed beside Joe, resting her head on his shoulder. She didn't know what to say anymore.

Minutes ticked by, precious minutes she could spend lying with he arms around Joe, hearing nothing except the beat of his heart.

But Ken startled her out of her sad reverie.

"Jun, could you two actually manage to be discreet?"

She sat up quickly.

"What do you mean?" she demanded. "He's asleep!"

"That's not what I mean, Jun. I mean, could you two manage to hide your relationship so well that Dr. Nambu couldn't -that _I_ couldn't- be able to tell that you two were together?

"Ken, Dr. Nambu ordered me to stay away from Joe." Jun said slowly, making sure she understood her superior officer. "Are you asking me if I can hide the fact that I am disobeying a direct order?"

Ken turned his head away, refusing to meet her penetrating gaze.

"You said that you couldn't lie to Dr. Nambu when he asked you about me." Jun continued. "If Hakase asks you again whether or not I am still seeing Joe, could you lie to him then?"

Ken folded his arms, continuing to keep his eyes fixed on a set of wall monitors.

"You can see the problem, can't you, Ken?" Jun asked. "Joe and I could certainly pretend, and we'd probably even fool Dr. Nambu. I'm sure we would even 'fool' you, if you chose not to see it. But deep down, you'd still know."

"Yes..."

The word was so quiet that Jun barely heard it, but she realized that Ken agreed with her. He just wasn't able to acknowledge it.

"One thing I've learned about you, Ken," Jun said softly," especially over the last couple of days, is that you hold duty above all else. Even if Joe and I tried to pretend, it would get to you, sooner or later."

"_Why_, Jun?"

"I..." Jun was confused. "I don't understand, Ken. Why, what?"

"Why are you making such a big deal of this?" Ken asked. He finally turned to look at her, his eyes wide with emotion barely held in check. "Two days ago, you had never even _thought_ about being with Joe. You wanted _me_..."

"I wanted you for a long time, Ken. But after awhile I could see that it wasn't what _you_ wanted."

"It _is_ what I want."

She could see that he was hurting now, and everything in her wanted to go to him; to put her arms around him; to comfort him and reassure him.

But she couldn't.

"If it's what _you_ want, would you be willing to defy Dr. Nambu for it?"

"Are you saying that you would be with me?"

"No." Jun shook her head. "Not anymore."

"So I'm asking you again, Jun." Ken growled. He took two quick steps toward her, grabbing her arms, his fingers digging into her skin in his anger. "Why are you making such a big deal of this? _I'm_ the one you always wanted! You've only ever thought about Joe that way for _two days_. Would it really be such a big deal to turn back the clock on those two days and remember how you felt about _me_?"

"Is that what all of this is?" Jun was incredulous. "You're just sore because it's not _you_ I'm interested in?"

"I just want to know how you could develop such an attachment to Joe in such a short time." Ken demanded angrily. "Are you _that_ desperate for someone in your bed that you...?"

The Eagle didn't finish his sentence, as a ringing slap from the Swan prevented him from completely verbalizing his thought.

"I think you realize how long Joe and I have known each other." Jun said coldly. "Certainly I only discovered my more intimate feelings for him two days ago, but as it turns out, Ken, they had already been there for a long time." The Eagle blanched as the Swan spoke, knowing that what she said was the truth.

"Do you want me to pinpoint the exact moment when I stopped caring for you that way and started caring for Joe?" Jun asked. "I can't really tell you. It's something that came upon me gradually, just as my love for you withered and died gradually, as I realized that I just wasn't important to you, in that way. What was the final straw? I don't know. Maybe it was when you slapped me instead of embracing me when I was rescued after being eaten by a Jigokiller. Maybe it was when you got all obsessive and ignored your duty for days to find your father, but you couldn't spend one minute ignoring your duty for me. Or maybe it was your lack of support when I lost my shoe, even though I stood up for you when you lost your bracelet." The Swan paused, taking a deep breath, before looking the Eagle in the eye and finally answering his question.

"Don't ask me, Ken, because I don't know."

"All the same, Jun," Ken quickly pushed the ugliness of his emotional abuse toward Jun aside, "we need to come to an agreement now. Either you leave of your own volition, or I have orders to physically remove you from Joe's room. You need to decide..."

Beep! Beep! Beep!

"Science Ninja Team!" Dr. Nambu's voice emanated from the three bracelets in the room. "There is word of a large mecha approaching Jonka City. You are needed now! Launch the God Phoenix!"

"We're on our way, Hakase." Gatchaman responded, his eyes meeting those of his third officer.

The Swan nodded in acknowledgment, before accompanying the Eagle out of the room.

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	12. Chapter 12

"What is that thing?" Jinpei asked nervously, his eyes darting to the empty seat where the Condor should have been at his station.

"I think it's a porcupine." Ryu said, squinting. "At least, it looks like one."

"Whatever it is, it's clearly Galactor's handiwork." Ken growled. "We have to destroy it as quickly as possible."

Already the mecha was shooting the quills on its back at Jonka City, each of them exploding with enough force to take out at least one square mile of urban development.

"Ryu, bring us into their visual range!" Ken ordered. "We have to distract them to allow the citizens of Jonka City to escape!"

"Ken, this mecha has some kind of new armor I've never seen before." Jun reported. "I don't know if we'll be able to penetrate its hull with a Super Bird Missile."

"If Joe were here, he would try!" Jinpei piped up.

"We have to..." Ken's words we cut off as the back of the mecha began to transform. The quills sank back down into the Galactor craft, and large metal plates emerged from the porcupine's back, covering the holes into which the quills had disappeared.

The mecha opened its mouth, and a fleet of fighter jets flew out, heading straight for the God Phoenix. Rather than all attacking head on, they swarmed the red and blue warship, surrounding it on all sides as they began firing.

The God Phoenix began to rock and jolt, and Ryu was reduced to literally attempting to force his way out of the pack of jets, with little success.

"We need to take them all down!" Ken cried, racing for Joe's station. "I'll shoot them with some Birds!" But although the Eagle was firing as fast as he could, his accuracy wasn't as good, nor was he as quick at targeting, as the Condor, and the Galactor fighters continued to blast away at the God Phoenix's hull.

"Ken, we can't take much more of this!" Jun cried. "We're about to have a hull breach in too many areas to count! We have to use the Science Ninja Technique: Firebird!"

"But the Firebird is dangerous without all five of us aboard!" Jinpei protested.

"And Hakase has made enhancements to it in the last couple of weeks!" Ryu reminded them. "If we use it with only four of us, we could all be cooked like a turkey in a microwave!" The Swan turned toward the Eagle.

"What should we do, Ken?"

Ken's mind was reeling. Think, he berated himself.

Okay, the firebird was too risky: the absolute and utter last resort.

Infiltrating the mecha? That wouldn't help against the jets, and the jets were what were about to destroy the God Phoenix's hull integrity.

His G-1 jet? He could go out there and take his laser cannon to those jets.

"Ken!" groaned Ryu impatiently.

"I'm going to take my G-1 out and drive off the jets. Everyone else, stay here! We'll figure out how to deal with the mecha later."

He moved to leave the bridge.

"What about infiltrating that mecha?" asked Jun.

But he couldn't infiltrate if he was in his jet, and no way was he sending any of the others in there.

"Send me," said Jun.

What? No, he didn't like that idea at all!

"The mecha's mouth has closed," said Ryu, "There's no way for you to get in."

Well, that solved that, then. He moved again to leave the bridge.

"If you go out there, Ken, and start shooting down jets, how much do you want to bet that mouth will reopen and more jets will come out? I could get inside then!"

"Jun, that's a completely crazy idea!"

"That's why it will work," she said, eyes glowing, "But the timing will be awfully tricky. I'll only have a small window of opportunity."

"Jun, I don't think…"

"It's what Joe would want to do, and you'd let him go! Trust me, Ken! I can do this."

"Ken!" shouted Ryu, as cracks began appearing along the ceiling of the bridge from the jets' bombardment. Damn it, he had to get out there now!

"Fine! Go! Before I change my mind! You won't be safe on the dome for very long, but don't you leave the God Phoenix unless you're _absolutely_ certain you have a clear path to the mecha's open mouth. That's an order!"

He ran from the bridge, heading for his G-1, while Jun dashed for the dome.

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Jun soared in and hit the floor of the mecha's docking port. Her plan was working, just as she had hoped. A moment later, the mecha's mouth snapped shut again, reminding her that she might well have to find another way to leave, but first things first.

But she heard voices, and many booted feet, moving her way quickly. She used her yo-yo to get up into the steel beams that ran along the ceiling, hiding herself from view.

She spent a few tense minutes perched up there, but the goons below didn't seem to be looking for her. After inspecting the docking clamps, they left. All the jets were gone now.

She breathed a sigh of relief. She'd made it inside undetected.

However, while she was up here, this was as good a place as any to conceal an explosive charge. She set it to go off in thirty minutes. It was a conservative time frame, but she didn't know what she might encounter further inside the mecha. It would be nice to find the engine room.

Soon, Jun was moving silently down a corridor that led from the Docking Bay. There didn't seem to be anyone around. But then she heard more voices and feet approaching.

She darted down a smaller side passage.

At the end of the passage, there was a door with a window in it. She approached the window slowly, and peeked in carefully.

There was nothing in the room except a chair and a table. But, there was someone in the chair, with their head slumped forward and their arms pulled behind the chair's back.

She couldn't believe it; how could this be?

The man in the chair was Dr. Nambu!

The door was unlocked. In a flash, she was in the room and at his side. God, he was a mess! His face was bruised and bloody.

"Doctor, Doctor!" She lifted his head carefully.

He stirred, opened his eyes and stared at her blearily.

"Jun?" he gasped weakly, "Is that really you?"

"Yes, Doctor, it's me. How did you get here?"

"A summons from Director Anderson... it was a fake... Galactor got to me just outside of UN headquarters... they made me call you... lure you out."

"I'm going to get you out of here, Doctor. You're safe now."

"Where's Ken?" he asked, faintly. He was clearly struggling to stay conscious; she was going to have to act fast.

"Ken's busy, so I came." she replied, examining the metal cuffs that bound his wrists and fastened them firmly to the chair's back. The chair itself was solid metal and strongly bolted to the floor.

The cuffs were a big problem. They were tight, thick and wide, and she couldn't detect any way to unlock or unfasten them. She didn't have a gun with drill attachments, or a Birdrang to cut with.

What she did have were explosives. She knew explosives. But could she do this? She would have to get it exactly right: too little and the cuffs wouldn't break, too much and she'd blow Dr. Nambu's arms off.

"Hurry up, Jun!"

She glanced at the table. Was there another way? Anything else that she could use? No, the only thing on the table was a set of brass knuckles, with blood on them.

Explosives it was, then.

"Doctor, you have to remain very still. I'm going to sprinkle some explosive powder on the cuffs and then detonate it."

"You're going to do what?" he yelled, before breaking into raspy coughs.

"Look, I've taken off my wings, and I'm going to wrap them around your arms and cover your hands as best I can." As she spoke, she began to do exactly that. "Here, I've shielded your hands, clutch the fabric tight, right here."

"Jun, this is _not_ a good idea. I want you to contact Gatchaman!"

She ignored him. Ken would never have time to come in here; he was battling the jets that were trying to take down the God Phoenix.

"Hold very still, Doctor. I'm going to start sprinkling the powder."

"G3, you will contact Gatchaman!"

She'd spent just too much time today listening to Dr. Nambu tell her what to do.

"Shut up! I know what I'm doing! Trust me!"

She stepped back from the chair, and aimed her yo-yo carefully.

"Don't you…"

"Yo-yo Strike!" She dove for cover.

The blast tore the chair from the floor and sent it and Dr. Nambu tumbling forward.

She scrambled to her feet, ran to the chair and turned it over.

Thank God! The cuffs had shattered, and there didn't seem to be any extensive damage to Dr. Nambu's arms or hands. But he was out cold, unresponsive.

As she put her wings back on, her mind was racing. That blast would definitely have gotten Galactor's attention! She was going to have to get out of here very fast, while carrying Dr. Nambu.

She would do whatever she had to do. If she draped him over her shoulder, she would still be able to move; although not as fast as she would have liked, and not for very long.

But, she might as well plant a second explosive charge underneath the table. She did so, before she hoisted up Dr. Nambu and left the room, to find a way out.

She had set the charge to explode in five minutes. If they weren't out of the mecha by then, they probably weren't going to be able to get out anyway.

8888888888

The Swan ran through the corridors of the mecha, looking for any way out. Precious time was ticking by, and she and Dr. Nambu needed to escape.

Should she call for a pickup from Ryu? No, who knew what was going on with the others. Under normal circumstances, the Owl might have piloted the God Phoenix right into the side of the Galactor mecha, but with the structural damage that the ship had incurred, Jun knew that such a thing wasn't possible right now.

She could find a hatch to the outside of the mecha and jump out, but she wasn't certain how well she would be able to glide while carrying Dr. Nambu's weight.

And then, she saw it. The answer to all of her problems.

She had stumbled across some kind of Maintenance Bay. It was mostly empty, but there were a few fighter jets, similar to the ones outside currently attacking the God Phoenix, undergoing repairs. Which one would best suit her purpose?

A few technicians saw her and began shouting. They picked up rifles and began running toward her position. But she didn't have time for them now. Throwing a handful of mini-grenades at the approaching goons, the Swan ran in the opposite direction, toward the closest fighter jet. At least this one was whole, and didn't look as if anything was missing. She flew up to the open cockpit, pulling Dr. Nambu into the gunner's seat, turning to see another dozen goons running toward her. She flung the last of her mini-grenades at them and then started the ignition process on the plane, jumping inside and closing the canopy as she did so.

Jun turned on the weapons systems. Since no one was awake to man them, the guns shot out randomly. But it was enough to keep the remaining Galactor soldiers away as she taxied to the end of the Maintenance Bay.

An alarm began to sound, and her bracelet began its thirty second warning alert.

The explosives she had set in the mouth of the mecha were about to go off! The Swan slammed her foot onto the acceleration pedal, doing what she could to aim the guns in front of her and shoot at the wall before them. Her eyes caught on a bright red button to her right.

A missile launcher!

Hurriedly, she pressed it, not caring where it was aimed. The wall in front of them exploded as it was hit, and suddenly the few remaining Galactor personnel in the Maintenance Bay were being sucked out into the cloudless sky outside of the mecha.

Freedom.

A few seconds later, the fighter jet in which the Swan and Dr. Nambu were sitting shot out into the sky as well. A massive blast from the front of the mecha shook the Galactor craft, and the force of the explosion propelled the fighter jet further away from the doomed craft.

"We made it!" Jun shouted joyfully, but Dr. Nambu was still unconscious, and he did not respond. She lifted her bracelet to contact the others, looking around for any sign of the God Phoenix in the haze of smoke emanating from the mecha's destruction.

She saw the red and blue warship still in the sky, the G-1 and the G-4 flying around it, engaging the few remaining fighter jets that were attacking. Some of the jets were attempting to flee, but the Eagle wasn't letting them get away so easily. He pursued and shot down all of the jets that might otherwise have escaped.

"Ken, I'm here!" Jun called into her bracelet, but she received no response.

Strange... she was in clear sight of the God Phoenix, and the activator light was on, so she should be transmitting... yet it was as if Ken wasn't receiving her signal at all.

"Ken!" she called. "Ryu! Jinpei!"

But none of her teammates responded.

The G-1 turned toward her, its laser gun arming, and for a brief moment Jun understood the way a goon felt when facing the Science Ninja Team.

"No, Ken! No!" she cried into her bracelet, but to no avail. The world was awash in the multicolored light of the G-1's laser cannon, and the Galactor fighter jet was tumbling down to the ocean below.

8888888888


	13. Chapter 13

"That's the last one." Ken said grimly, his eyes filling with tears that he angrily brushed aside.

"Aniki, there's still no sign of Onechan." Jinpei moaned, his emotion coming clearly over the bracelet. "Do you think she really...?"

"She was on board that mecha when it exploded, Jinpei." Ken told the boy. "No one could have survived that. But we made those Galactor bastards pay..."

With a sharp cry the Eagle ended the communication, laying his head down on his arms for a moment as the G-1 docked with the God Phoenix.

Jun was dead.

What had he done? How could he have let this happen? He shouldn't ever have let her leave the God Phoenix alone. It was one thing to send Joe off on a suicide mission like that, but the Condor hadn't been with them. If the Condor had been there to fire Bird Missiles, or let them use the Firebird, things might have turned out differently.

If Joe had been with them, Jun would be alive right now.

Ken was emotionally drained. The events of the past few days were nothing compared to the dark depression he was feeling now. But despite his internal emotions, he had a duty to fulfill. There were two members of his Team awaiting him on the Bridge, and Gatchaman had to report in.

Quietly, Ken walked to the Bridge, placing a comforting hand on the Swallow's shoulder as he passed by him, and nodding grimly at the Owl.

"Return to base, Ryu."

The Owl nodded, tears in his eyes. As he began to turn the ship around, the Eagle initiated a communication to Dr. Nambu at UN Headquarters.

"Dr. Nambu!" he said, as the familiar face of his mentor and foster father appeared on the monitor. "The mecha has been destroyed. I..." Ken's voice cracked for a moment.

"The Swan did not make it. She died while placing the explosives on the Galactor mecha." he reported through gritted teeth.

"I am so sorry to hear that, Gatchaman." Nambu responded. "I will need to speak with you immediately, regarding this matter. Rendezvous with me at ISO Headquarters for further discussion."

"Yes, Sir." Ken acknowledged his orders.

The God Phoenix flew on in silence.

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Well, now she knew why this jet had been in the repair bay; it must have had malfunctioning instruments, including the transmitter. Could it be creating some kind of EMF or distortion that blocked her bracelet's transmissions too?

The controls of the jet were completely unresponsive too. The laser cannon had clearly fried all the remaining circuitry, and the jet continued to fall towards the smooth, blue ocean far below, but getting closer every second.

Jun struggled not to panic. She knew that Berg Katse considered all goons expendable, but surely there were goons with some instincts for self-preservation. She began digging around underneath her seat, and cried out with happiness when she found what was unmistakably a harness with an attached parachute.

"Jun, what's going on?"

She turned to see Dr. Nambu, staring all around him with alarm. He'd picked a good time to regain consciousness.

"We're in a Galactor jet, but it's crashing. Here, put on this!" She tossed him the parachute.

"When I pop the canopy, we jump!"

"There's nothing but ocean down there!"

"Well we can't stay in here!"

He saw the sense in this, and quickly shrugged on and fastened the parachute harness.

"I'm ready, Jun."

"Okay, just go where the chute takes you. I'll be gliding with my wings, so I'll be able to stay with you, and even steer you if necessary."

She pulled lever, but the canopy remained stuck in place.

Damn it! They had to get out of here now.

"Doctor, duck! Yo-yo Strike!"

The canopy shattered completely, and a second later they were out of the plummeting jet.

Dr. Nambu was falling fast below her, as she spread her wings and began gliding in wide, slow circles, but he soon pulled the cord to release the parachute. She held her breath, silently praying that something would work correctly.

The parachute deployed smoothly, and soon she was gliding circles around Dr. Nambu as they both descended toward the ocean.

Then she saw it, in the fading light of the day: a ship moving through the water below, leaving a trail of white in its wake, out here in the middle of nowhere.

That was their best chance; they just had to both reach it.

That turned out to be much easier said than done. She saw to it that Dr. Nambu touched down on the deck of the ship, but she didn't have time to get into a good landing position herself, and the deck was slippery with water.

Ooof! She slid and crashed into a wall, smashing her arm up against it with a crack. Damn it! That was her bracelet! It had snapped open and fallen from her wrist, and she was changing back into her civvies.

She found herself sitting on the wet deck of a ship, in her tee-shirt and striped pants, hastily examining her arm and bracelet and glancing around nervously to check if anyone had seen her.

She didn't see anyone except Dr. Nambu. Her arm was in acceptable condition, but her bracelet was clearly not.

The bracelet was intact, at least externally, but it was also completely dead. Further away, Dr. Nambu was extricating himself from the parachute, and standing up.

"Hello?" he called out.

From below deck, men were appearing now, speaking excitedly in a language she didn't understand. But they were clearly more than a little surprised to see a girl and a man in a suit, with a battered face, standing on the deck of their ship.

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Ken, Ryu and Jinpei filed solemnly into Dr. Nambu's office at the ISO headquarters in Utoland. They all remained standing.

"Sir, I take full responsibility for the loss of..." It hurt too much to say her name. "Our teammate. I failed in my duty and I'm prepared to accept any reprimand or punishment."

Behind his desk, Dr. Nambu stood up.

"Don't blame yourself. We have all underestimated Galactor's awesome power. It was inevitable that you... I know, you must all feel terrible. I feel terrible. Why don't you change out of your uniforms? You'll feel more comfortable."

"If you don't mind, Doctor," said Ken, "I think we'd all prefer to stay as we are."

Ryu and Jinpei nodded; staying in their Birdstyles seemed one way to honor the gravity of the situation: the loss of their comrade in battle. As well, thought Ken, it was easier to hide their grieving faces behind their visors; it helped keep them all from collapsing in sobbing despair.

"Okay, if that's how you feel..."

How he felt... Ken didn't think he'd ever felt worse in his life. At least with his father, he hadn't felt completely to blame. He'd had a chance to say goodbye, and he'd known his father had loved him. But Jun... their last real conversation had been an argument, in which she had cast up all the worst things he'd ever done to her, telling him why she'd chosen Joe over him.

Joe...

Ken hadn't thought he could possibly feel worse, but now a wave of cold nausea washed over him.

He was going to have to see Joe, face to face, and tell him that Jun was dead. But he just couldn't bear to think about that now; he had to think about something, _anything_, else.

"Doctor, what are your orders for us now?"

"Well," said Dr. Nambu, "I've been thinking about that fake Mantle Project data that we tried to pass off to Berg Katse yesterday. He knew immediately that it was fake. Clearly he has a brilliant intellect, and we wasted precious time compiling it. I have decided that I need to make a better set of fake data, one that closely resembles the real data but is nevertheless false, in case a similar situation arises again. Any moment now, a fresh copy of the Mantle Project data will be delivered to me here. Then, we will all leave and return to our Base together, in the God Phoenix."

Ken stared at Dr. Nambu, wishing he possessed the strength to remain so calm and collected in the face of this tragedy. It had to require tremendous effort and will. The Doctor had always been an emotionally reserved man, but Ken had always known that he cared deeply for all of them.

The door opened and an ISO employee came in and handed a large folder to Dr. Nambu.

"That's all the data that you requested, Sir.'

"Thank you so very much," said Dr. Nambu.

For a second, Ken thought he'd seen a flicker of a smile across the Doctor's lips, but that couldn't be right, could it?

"It's time to head for our Base now." announced Dr. Nambu. "Where did you park the God Phoenix?"

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Joe sat up in bed, disoriented and rubbing his eyes.

He was still in the room in the medical ward, but there was no one in sight. How long had he been asleep? He looked at the clock: it had been too damned long! The last thing he could remember was being brought in here after collapsing in the gymnasium.

He must have been sedated, damn them! But at least he was feeling better now, and he still had his bracelet.

"Jun? Jun? It's Joe, where are you?"

He received no response.

That was disconcerting. He'd asked her not to leave his side; had they sedated her too? Was Dr. Nambu _that_ desperate to keep them apart?

He climbed out of the bed, this time carefully removing his electrode patches, and a quick search turned up his clothes, neatly folded in a cabinet.

Should he try to contact Ken? He didn't feel much like talking to him, but not knowing what the hell was going on bothered him more.

"G2 to G1, answer me." But he got no response from Ken either. There was nothing to do but leave the room and try to find someone who could explain things to him.

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As they entered the elevator to leave the ISO headquarters, Ken's bracelet began to beep.

"G2 to G1, answer me."

"Shouldn't you answer him?" asked Dr. Nambu.

What? Ken knew he could never impart the terrible news to Joe over his bracelet. No, it could wait until they were back at the Crescent Base.

"Please, Doctor, let me tell him in person. It will be... better that way."

Dr. Nambu shifted his folder of data from one arm to the other.

"Are you certain that no one escaped that mecha? That everything burned?"

"Yes, Doctor! I saw it explode, and no one came out!"

And stop making me think about it, he thought silently. _What is with you, Dr. Nambu?_

8888888888


	14. Chapter 14

Jun gaped as the men came out of the hold. The clothes they wore were ragged, tattered, and very dirty.

But the green garments were very familiar.

"Galactor!" she hissed, forgetting for a moment that she was in her civilian clothes.

"They're from Galactor!" shouted the man in the lead. He raised his rifle and pointed it at Dr. Nambu. The others pointed their guns at Jun.

"We cannot allow Galactor to know of our existence." the man in charge said. "For finding us, the price you pay is death."

"Wait!" cried Dr. Nambu. "We're not from Galactor!"

"I thought _you_ were from Galactor." said Jun, confused.

"We..." the man looked around sheepishly. "We're not. Not anymore."

"You're deserters..." the Doctor realized.

"We're _not_ deserters!" the man protested. "We just don't want to be part of the organization anymore, that's all."

"They certainly don't treat their soldiers very well." Jun said soothingly. "I can see why you wouldn't want to be with Galactor any longer."

"What would _you_ know about it?" the man turned suspicious eyes on her.

"We were prisoners of Galactor." Jun explained, gesturing up to the sky. "We were in that mecha up there. Just before it exploded, we found a parachute and jumped. We were lucky to make our way to your boat."

"I guess Berg Katse didn't treat you very well, either." the man noted, his keen eyes observing the numerous cuts and bruises on Dr. Nambu's face.

"They didn't like it when I wouldn't talk." Dr. Nambu admitted. "They were about to threaten my daughter, to get me to cooperate."

"That sounds like Lord Katse, all right." the man acknowledged. He signaled to the other men, and they all lowered their rifles.

"I'm Tom." he introduced himself. "I'd like to believe your story, Mr..."

"Nambu." the Doctor replied. "It's nice to meet you, Tom. This is my daughter, Jun."

"Dr. Nambu?" one of the other men gaped. "From the ISO?"

"Yes." Nambu nodded. "You can check my credentials, if you'd like. If you truly wish to be free of Galactor, I could arrange amnesty for your group."

"That..." Tom appeared to be at a loss for words, for a moment.

"That would be wonderful." he said finally. "We've been hiding for so long... it would be nice to be free, again."

"How do we know we can trust him?" someone shouted.

"Like he said... check out his credentials!" Tom ordered the man. "Access the ISO website! There should be a picture of Dr. Nambu on there. But if he is who he says he is..."

"I am." Nambu assured Tom.

"Then I think we need to talk." Tom replied.

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Just as the elevator doors began to close, a secretary came running down the hall. She stuck her hand inside the small compartment, preventing the elevator from closing.

"Stop!" she cried. "Dr. Nambu! There is a Priority One message for you coming from the Crescent Coral Base!"

"I'm too busy right now." the Doctor replied. "I have to get to the God Phoenix." Was it Ken's imagination, or did Nambu seem to clutch the manila folder of Mantle Plan data a little more tightly?

"But, Sir, this is Priority One!" the woman gasped.

"We can wait." Ken declared, stepping back out of the elevator, Jinpei and Ryu following. None of them were exactly eager to get back to Crescent Coral Base and tell Joe what had happened.

"I'll take the damn message." Nambu growled, stalking back down the hallway, Gatchaman and his Team close behind. Ken was surprised at the Doctor's impatience. It wasn't like him. Perhaps he had been more affected by Jun's death than the Eagle had surmised.

The Doctor went into his office, but did not close the door behind him. That was odd. A Priority One message was of the highest importance. Surely Nambu didn't want just anyone walking by in the corridor overhearing. Ken decided to guard the entrance to the office, to prevent such a thing from happening.

Ken could hear some quiet swearing and a series of muffled clunks behind him, but he didn't turn around. The Doctor deserved his privacy after all. He was usually so calm and unruffled, that these signs of stress were clearly something Nambu would not want anyone else to visibly witness.

"There is it." muttered Nambu. Ken heard the hum of the communications system being activated.

"You!" the Doctor declared. "What is it?"

"I'm sorry to contact you this way, Hakase." came Joe's voice. Ken could practically feel the anger coming through the transmission. "But where the hell is everyone? I woke up to find you all gone! No one is answering my bracelet calls! What's going on?"

"Don't get your feathers in such a bunch!" Nambu retorted. "They went off to fight a mecha."

"Then I should go join them!" Joe declared. "They'll need..."

"Don't bother." snapped Nambu, his patience clearly wearing thin. "The mission's over. The mecha has been destroyed."

"Then why won't anyone answer my bracelet calls?" Joe demanded to know. "You're blocking me out, aren't you, Doctor? You don't want me talking to..."

"Stop making so damn much of yourself, Condor!" the Doctor snapped. "They're not answering your call because they wanted to delay telling you the latest news. But since you're so insistent on hearing it now, I'll tell you. The Swan is dead. She blew up with the mecha." There was a strange tone to Nambu's voice. Was it...? No. Ken shook his head. That couldn't be right.

And yet... the Doctor was acting very strangely.

Ken recalled a time when he had run into Red Impulse, after his father had died, saving the world from the V2 Plan. He had been so convinced that his father had come back, but then the man had turned out to be Berg Katse in disguise. Since that time, Gatchaman had made it his business to be more in tune with his suspicions...

And Dr. Nambu was behaving suspiciously.

"What?" Joe's voice choked with emotion. "The Swan is... dead? How could this happen?"

"Don't ask me! I wasn't there." Nambu said curtly. "Gatchaman hasn't given me a full report yet. Ask _him_! But not until we get back to base."

The transmission was terminated, and Dr. Nambu came stalking out of the room.

"Now, let's get to the God Phoenix!" he said brightly.

8888888888

The Condor stared at the now-blank communications monitor, a red haze forming behind his purple visor.

Jun was dead? No! Jun couldn't be dead! The Doctor _had_ to be wrong! Wherever she was, Joe had to find her.

Unfortunately, she wasn't answering his bracelet calls. Another setback lay in the fact that his G-2 was aboard the God Phoenix, which wasn't currently docked at the Crescent Coral Base.

Quickly, Joe accessed the ISO computer systems, easily locating news reports of the porcupine mecha that had been attacking Jonka City.

At least he had a place to start.

He headed for the Submarine Bay, intent on finding the Swan.

8888888888

"Yes, Sir! I'll get the others." Ken took long, fast strides down the hall to the waiting area where Ryu and Jinpei were sitting, trying to leave Dr. Nambu behind. He had to reach them first!

He barely had time to step into the waiting area and hiss "Agree with everything I say; that's an order!" in a piercing whisper, before speaking in a louder voice.

"What's that? You say the God Phoenix has been grounded due to structural damage?"

"Uh, yes..." said Ryu, staring at Ken in bewilderment, "That's right... all that pounding we took from those Galactor jets..."

Ken tried to quickly nod in encouragement, as Dr. Nambu entered the room behind him.

"What's going on? What's this about the God Phoenix being grounded?"

"Sir, I sent a message to the ISO engineers here, just before we disembarked, asking them to inspect the God Phoenix. I was concerned..."

"Very commendable, G5," said Ken.

"We just got a message from them while we were waiting here." added Jinpei, "They said it was a miracle we didn't break into pieces just on the way here!"

Dr. Nambu didn't look at all happy to hear that.

"But surely they said they'd be able to get us some other plane to use?" asked Ken. "Pretty soon?"

"Yeah... that's right," said Ryu, "They'll get us another plane, but it's going to take about... half an hour. They'll call us when it's ready."

Dr. Nambu sighed impatiently.

"Fine! I'll be in my office. Tell me when it's time to leave for the Base."

He stalked back up the hall.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Ryu turned to Ken. Grief still dominated his features, but now confusion was added to the mix.

"Ken, I don't want to have to break the news to Joe anymore than you do, but lying to the Doc like that? What's going on? No one's trying to find us another plane!"

"Ryu, Jinpei, I don't think that's Dr. Nambu at all. That was Joe calling him, Priority One, and I heard what he... Look, you have to trust me. That is _not_ Dr. Nambu!"

"You mean he's, like, some imposter?" asked Jinpei, wide-eyed.

"Worse than that. I think he's Berg Katse in disguise."

"Katse!" Jinpei's mouth took on a truly grim expression, but Ken grabbed his arm before he could lunge for the door.

"Let me go! He killed my sister!"

"Shit, Ken! Let's all go!" said Ryu, "If that's _really_ Katse, then he's about to start reading the Mantle Project data!"

"I know," said Ken, looking from Ryu to Jinpei, "but we just can't go rushing in there without a plan. You know how slippery Katse is!"

8888888888

Joe stepped into an elevator that would take him down to the level that housed the Crescent Base's submarine bay.

He was in his Birdstyle. Surely this visual reminder of his full Condor authority would enable him to commandeer a sub.

She can't be dead, she can't be dead...

That was all he could think, as the elevator descended. He remembered, then, when she'd been taken by the Jigokillers. He'd fired the missile that had ignited the field of Jigokillers into flames, and he'd had no doubt then that she was gone forever.

But she had come back.

She would come back this time too. He had to believe that; the alternative... that was something he would never be able to live with.

Jonka City was on the coast, and all the reports he'd read about the porcupine mecha said it had exploded about three hundred miles out to sea.

The elevator door opened and he strode into the submarine bay.

"You!" he said to the first person he saw. "I need a sub! The fastest one you've got!"

"W… what? Right away! Condor... Sir!"

"What do you need it for? If you don't mind me asking," asked another, slightly older, Base employee.

Joe glared at him, eyes narrowed.

"I _do_ mind, but I'll tell you anyway. I need to explore the area a few hundred miles south of Jonka City, where a mecha crashed. I have to check for survivors, and I need to do it quickly!"

"Well," said the man, "Survivors won't be underwater, and if it's speed that you need..."

"Yes?" demanded Joe.

"What you need is the hydrofoil boat we keep up under the coral reef; she's fast!"

Joe's eyes lit up.

8888888888


	15. Chapter 15

"None of our radios work," said Tom, "We're lucky we've been able to keep this ship afloat, and we haven't had much time to deal with any of its other problems. Besides, there hasn't been anybody we much wanted to talk to. We've just been staying out here, avoiding all the usual shipping lanes, and hoping to straighten things out before we run out of food."

"That's okay, Tom." replied Dr. Nambu. "We'll figure something out. My daughter and I are both quite good with electronics, and we might be able to get the radios working."

"You're welcome to try." said Tom skeptically. "But first, I brought you guys some food. It's nothing great, but it's what we got."

"Thank you." said Jun. "I'm sure it's fine."

She and Dr. Nambu were sitting in a small, and not very clean, room below deck, trying to get some rest and figure out their next course of action. Tom set two dented tin plates of food on the table and turned to leave.

"Just shout if you need anything else."

Once he was gone, Jun pulled her bracelet out of her pocket and showed it to Dr. Nambu.

"I can't get it to work, Doctor, but you know more than I do about how it's made. Do you think you can repair it?"

"I can repair this." the Doctor confirmed. "The question is whether or not I can obtain the necessary tools."

"Hopefully they will have something for us to work with." Jun replied. "What about your portable communicator, Doctor?"

"Berg Katse used it to contact you all and lure you out to engage his mecha." Nambu replied. "I don't know where it is now."

"I see. " Jun nodded.

"What happened, Jun?" the Doctor asked. "Why didn't the God Phoenix pick us up?"

Quickly, Jun explained what had occurred during the Science Ninja Team's encounter with the Galactor mecha.

"I understand." Nambu sighed. "I wish you had been able to contact Ken earlier. But we will do so as quickly as we can, now."

"And in the meantime, I'll try to help these men fix their radio." Jun agreed.

8888888888

Less than three minutes after he had departed for his office, Gatchaman knocked on Dr. Nambu's door.

"What is it?" came the Doctor's voice from within.

"Its Gatchaman, Sir." Ken replied politely. "I have a report on the progress of our replacement aircraft."

"Fine. Come in."

Slowly, the Eagle entered the room, moving carefully toward Nambu's desk. From the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of black at the only window, indicating that the Swallow was in position. There was no way to see Ryu out in the hallway, but Ken had faith in his Team.

"So? Report!" Nambu snapped. Ken saw the Doctor's hand on the cover of the manila folder containing the Mantle Plan data. It appeared that Nambu was irritated at the interruption in his reading.

"The UN has informed me that their planes are all currently deployed in an operation to attack a recently-discovered Galactor base." the Eagle declared. "Apparently, Galactor has no idea that we're onto them, and the UN has high hopes that they'll be able to catch them by surprise, and take the base, especially since Katse's latest mecha was just destroyed."

"Galactor base? Which one?" Dr. Nambu jumped up out of his chair, his expression one of intense concern.

"I'll show you." Gatchaman replied, moving over to the other side of the Doctor's desk. "Here, let me pull up a map on your console." As he passed by the manila folder, Ken's arm brushed by, knocking off Nambu's hand. Quickly, the Eagle snatched the folder, concealing it under his wings as Dr. Nambu stared intently at the console.

"Where?" he demanded.

"Over here." Ken said, vaguely pointing at central Asia.

"_That one_?" Dr. Nambu's eyes bugged out from shock, but whether it was from the idea that a Galactor base was under attack or that the Eagle's hands were around his throat was unclear.

"Wha... What are you doing? Gatchaman?" the Doctor gasped.

"What color are the curtains in your office at the Crescent Coral Base?" asked the Eagle bluntly.

"Curtains? What? How the hell should I know?" raged Nambu. "I don't have time to look at curtains!" Gatchaman's grip tightened slightly.

"They're beige!" the Doctor gasped, his face turning a light shade of purple.

"Funny." Ken growled. "Dr. Nambu doesn't have curtains in his office at Crescent Coral Base."

The eyes of the man in Gatchanan's hands went wild, desperately looking around the room. Suddenly, they latched onto something. The man jerked in a direction the Eagle hadn't expected, and his leg kicked at the underside of the desk. An alarm began to sound.

"Gatchaman has gone insane!" screeched the man in the Eagle's grasp. "I need assistance, now!"

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Tom's men had a few tools, but most of them were not delicate enough to use for work on the Swan's bracelet. Fortunately, the Doctor had discovered that the small eyeglass repair kit he always carried on his person was still in his jacket, and those tools were adaptable for the simpler repairs on the communicator.

"You can't transform or communicate with it," Nambu told Jun, "but I was able to initiate a short-range homing signal. If any of the others get within five square kilometers of our position, they'll tune into the beacon."

"Five square kilometers isn't much." Jun sighed. "But I guess it's better than nothing."

"I'll keep working on it," Nambu replied, "but for the moment I promised Tom I'd speak with him about the conditions of his amnesty. This could be a valuable break for us, Jun. If these men would agree to a debriefing, we could obtain valuable information about Galactor's bases, resources, and future plans."

"Go, Hakase." Jun replied, strapping on her broken bracelet. "I'll keep working on this radio. I think I'm making progress."

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The Condor sped across the water. The technician had been right. Joe didn't know much about watercraft, but this Hydrofoil was the fastest damn thing he had ever driven... after the G-2, of course. He moved in a direct line toward the position of the mecha's destruction, each second gnawing away at what was left of his sanity.

Jun had to be alive. She _had_ to. There was just no other option for him.

It didn't take long before he came across the salvage boats cleaning up the wreckage left behind from the Galactor craft's demise. The Condor contacted one of them on his radio, confirming that they had not found any survivors, and that all of the dead bodies they had found belonged to men in green Galactor uniforms.

The Condor breathed a sigh of relief. The possibility that Jun was alive was still there. Slowly, he began to move in a circle around the salvage boats, expanding ever outward from that point, his scanning systems searching for any sign of activity on the ocean waters.

He only hoped that there was something to find.

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Damn it! Ken wondered frantically if there was any way he could stop the alarm, but as he reached under the desk himself, Katse -he was positive now that it was Katse- somehow squirmed from his grasp.

Instantly, Ken ceased to care about the alarm; security personnel were probably already on their way here anyway. Katse moved as if to make a dash for the door, but Ken blocked his way. Now they were facing each other from opposite sides of the large desk, but the door was behind Ken, and it was clear that Katse knew he wasn't going to easily get past Gatchaman. Yet at the same time, Ken feared that if he tried to run around the desk, or climb over it, to get Katse, the Galactor Leader would be able to give both him and Ryu in the hallway the slip. Katse was indeed slippery!

"Surrender, Katse! You're trapped!"

"Am I? Any minute now, Gatchaman, armed guards will come in here and drag you away." sneered Katse. "Who would ever doubt the word of the great Dr. Nambu?"

"Don't be so certain. It will come down to my word against yours, but I'm Gatchaman; I routinely save the world. Don't you think I have some credibility?"

"They'll think you've finally snapped from all the stress, and that you're seeing Berg Katse everywhere now. You must admit, I do impersonate Dr. Nambu perfectly!"

"Not so perfectly! You didn't know about the curtains, did you? Do you know who accidentally spilled a drink all over Director Anderson at last year's ISO holiday party? Do you know what kind of animal the Swallow brought in here six months ago that trashed this entire floor? I know, and I can tell you that this building's security personnel will know the answers too! But do you?"

Katse didn't reply, but he began sweeping the surface of the desk with his eyes.

Ken reached behind his wings and pulled out the folder he'd tucked into his belt.

"Looking for this?"

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Joe continued to sweep ever-widening circles around the salvage boats, keeping the powerful lights of the hydrofoil boat trained on the water, but he still couldn't see anything except the dark surface of the deep ocean.

Could it be...? Could it really be that there wasn't anything to find? Joe could feel his chest tightening. He was fighting so hard to keep believing that Jun had somehow survived, and that she was out there, somewhere, waiting for him to find her, but...

He cut the boat's motors, and it gradually began to slow. Soon, it was just drifting randomly, pushed only by the wind. He turned off the lights and just sat there in the dark, listening to the waves lapping against the boat's sides.

Jun...

She was really dead, and he had brought this on her. Their one night together had been the most beautiful and perfect moment of his life; and she had told him that she loved him. But inevitably he brought destruction upon every precious thing he touched. He was cursed...

Beep, beep, beep...

He was picking up a signal on his bracelet? A signal from _Jun's_ bracelet?

"Jun! Jun!" he shouted into his bracelet. "Where are you?"

There was no answer, and he realized that he was merely picking up a homing beacon.

Well that was something!

He fired up the boat's motors and tore across the water at an insane speed, in the direction of the homing beacon.

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Seeing the Mantle Project data now tucked firmly beneath Ken's arm was the final straw for Katse. He reached inside his jacket. Ken immediately whipped out his Birdrang, but before he could do anything, there was a bang, and a cloud of thick smoke erupted around Katse, completely obscuring him from Ken's view.

Ken then ran around the desk, charging through the smoke, only to see the caped and masked Berg Katse -no longer disguised as Dr. Nambu- standing on the ledge just outside a now open window.

As Ken prepared to hurl his Birdrang, Jinpei leapt out of his hiding place on the ledge and stood only five feet from Katse.

"You're going to pay for what you did!" yelled Jinpei. "We're on the fifteenth floor! I can glide down with my wings, but can you?" With that, Jinpei pulled out his bolas and began to clack them menacingly.

"If you kill me," snapped Katse, "then you'll never find out where Galactor is holding the _real_ Dr. Nambu, and there's a standing order to kill him if anything 'unfortunate' should happen to me!"

Security personnel began storming into the office, but they all stumbled to a halt at the sight of a stand-off between Berg Katse, and the Eagle and Swallow.

"I'm prepared to make a deal, Gatchaman. You give me the Mantle Project data, and I'll tell you where Dr. Nambu is!"

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Jun stood in the control room of the deserters' ship. She thought she'd managed to repair one of the radios, but reinstalling and reconnecting it was proving tricky. Their electrical system was such a mess!

Tom was standing near her, but he wasn't able to offer any helpful advice. Dr. Nambu, after much insistence on her part, was getting some badly-needed sleep.

Was this a waste of time? Jun began to wonder.

But then she realized that everyone must think that she was dead. Jinpei must believe that he'd lost his Onechan forever.

_Joe..._

After the explosion and crash of the porcupine mecha, the God Phoenix must have returned to the Crescent Base and Joe would have awoken to the news that instead of staying at his side, she had died...

It was that thought, right now, that was causing her the most pain. She had to get this god damned radio to work! The homing beacon that her bracelet was emitting was a complete waste of time. No one was ever going to come looking for her, and no one was going to come within a mere five square kilometers of this ship!

Maybe if she rerouted this, and if she unplugged this cable and plugged it in here instead...

Suddenly, the ship's radar screen came to life.

"Hey, you've got the radar working!" said Tom happily. "That's great!"

Jun stared at the radar screen. Was it functioning correctly? There was a small, bright dot closing in on their location, moving incredibly fast. Tom saw it too.

"It's Galactor!" he cried out. "They've found us, and they're going to kill us all! No one ever leaves Galactor and survives. That's what they've always said!"

Before Jun could do anything, Tom had run out of the control room and on to the deck of the ship.

"Men! Ready all the guns we've got! There's an incoming Galactor boat, zooming towards us from the southeast!"

She could hear rapid footsteps and shouting, all over the ship.

Galactor? And she couldn't even change into her Birdstyle! How was she going to be able to fight, to protect Dr. Nambu?

But then she felt a tiny jolt of hope… What if it _wasn't_ Galactor? Whatever was heading their way, it was definitely within range of her bracelet's homing beacon.

What if someone _had_ been looking for her?

But Tom and the other deserters were about to open fire on whoever it was, and such was their terror of Galactor now, she feared she'd never be able to convince them to hold their fire.

She slammed her hand in frustration against the radio.

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"How about this deal, Katse?" Ken replied coldly. "You step down off of the ledge, and you won't get hurt."

"I don't think so." Katse smirked. "After all, I have nothing to lose by killing Dr. Nambu. But you have _everything_ to lose if you don't hand me that Mantle Plan data."

"The citizens of Earth have everything to lose if I give you this data." Ken replied.

"Then you give me no choice." the Galactor Leader sneered. He pressed a button on the chain that held his cape collar in place.

"Base, this is Katse. Have Dr. Nambu executed immediately."

"Yes, Katsesama!" came a voice from the tiny transmitter. The Galactor Leader stood up and smiled cruelly at Ken.

"And now, since there's nothing more you can do for me..." Katse turned and stepped off the ledge, right before the astonished Swallow's eyes.

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	16. Chapter 16

"We have to fire!" Tom shouted from just outside the door.

"But, Sir, we only have two torpedoes left!" one man protested, as Jun left the radio room.

"Two?" Tom's eyes bugged out. "That's all? Are you certain? We can't afford to waste them..."

"Then give this craft... whatever it is... a chance!" Jun begged. "It might not be Galactor. It might be someone from the ISO!"

"How would someone from the ISO know to find you here?" Tom asked logically. Jun stared at the floor. She couldn't tell the man about her bracelet.

"We don't even know if it's headed for us." Jun pointed out. "It might just happen to be coming this way. You don't want to waste a torpedo if you're wrong."

"That's a possibility, but how would we ever know?" Tom asked.

"Change course!" Jun suggested. "If it doesn't follow you, then it's just co-incidence. And since it's dark, they probably won't see you."

"I suppose it could work..." Tom muttered. "I suppose it's worth a shot, to save a torpedo. We can't open fire until it's within visual range, anyhow." The Captain ran off to give the order to his men.

"Thank you, Tom." Jun said gratefully. Now came the most difficult part of her rapidly conceived plan. Carefully, she tapped a command code on her bracelet, shutting off the homing beacon.

"Forty-five degrees to port!" she heard Tom hollering from the Bridge. "All lights out! It needs to be completely dark on this vessel!"

Nervously, Jun went back to look at the radar screen. One of Tom's men stood with her, anxiously watching the approach of the other boat.

Their ship changed course, but the other craft did not. It continued racing to intercept their previous position. And then, without warning, it stopped.

Jun let out a breath she hadn't even known she was holding. She had been right! Whoever was in that other ship had been following her homing signal. Whey else would they stop, and not alter course to intercept them, after she had switched it off?

But she would never be able to convince Tom that this boat carried assistance. These men were afraid of Galactor, and rightly so.

"You have to inform Tom about this!" Jun told the other man, and he nodded in agreement, running off to the Bridge.

She only had a few seconds. Quickly, she switched a few connections on the back of the radar system, ensuring that although the monitor appeared to be working, nothing smaller than the God Phoenix would be detected until it was less than half a kilometer from Tom's ship.

Now, she just had to get back in contact with that other boat.

Checking the corridor to ensure that she wasn't being watched, Jun dashed back out to the bow. She tapped her bracelet again, resuming the broadcast of the homing signal, and then she stepped back before running toward the edge of the boat and diving into the dark ocean waters.

The waves crashed over her head, and it was a struggle to keep afloat in her clothes and shoes. But the thought of rescue was enough to keep her going. Using all of her strength, Jun began to kick, and she started swimming toward the last known position of the mysterious rescue craft.

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Joe screamed in frustration, but the wind whipping in his face carried the sound away, not allowing the howl to echo satisfyingly in his ears. He had been moving toward the homing signal, and then it had just disappeared. The night around the hydrofoil was pitch black, and the Condor's vision was almost useless beyond the small circle of light emanating from his craft.

To have come so close!

Even worse, Joe couldn't help thinking about what might have happened to stop the signal. It had been Jun, and she had been transmitting, and now she wasn't...

He didn't want to think about what that could mean.

He had stopped the hydrofoil, and now his vessel bobbed in the dark ocean waters, as he desperately tried to think of what to do next.

Jun was out there. He had to find her. He couldn't let her down now. She didn't want to die, and even more, _Joe_ didn't want her to die. Damn it, didn't they deserve some small bit of happiness? Was it right to find such joy, only to have it cruelly ripped away?

But then, wasn't that the story of his life? His parents had died when he was still a young boy. He had been taken away from everything he had ever known, and trained to be the best fighter and gunner in the ISO Forces and UN Military combined. But even so, he had still been denied the chance to command.

He had gotten over that setback years ago. He knew that Ken was the best choice for leadership of the Science Ninja Team, although he hadn't necessarily agreed with Dr. Nambu's decision back then. But it hadn't been the last of his disappointments. There had been other women he had been close to, but none more so than Lucy. Lucy... who had been turned into a cyborg by Galactor, just when he had thought...

When he had first developed feelings for Jun, he had buried them as far down as he could. Not just because she clearly was interested in Ken (although that was part of it) but also because he had known, deep inside himself, that he didn't deserve her. Joe Asakura didn't deserve _anything_ good in his life. Everything he had that was special, that was precious, had been taken away from him.

And now, Jun had been taken away from him too.

He wasn't going to take it any more.

He would spend every moment searching for Jun, until he found her.

As if in answer to his silent declaration, a soft sound came from his bracelet.

The homing signal!

It had begun again. Immediately, Joe turned the hydrofoil in the direction of the signal, pushing the speed as much as he could, shining out the boat's lights ahead of him, desperately seeking its source.

After a few minutes, he had to slow down. The wind had whipped up the waves, and they were crashing high enough to impede his progress. His eyes swept the seas in front of him.

What was that?

"I'm here!"

He turned in the direction of the sound, and then he heard it again.

"I'm here! Help! Please!"

There were no other vessels in sight, but the Condor kept his lights on, moving toward the sound... and the homing beacon.

When Joe caught sight of a red t-shirt amongst the waves, he nearly wept with joy. He moved closer and closer, pulling alongside the woman, who was frantically trying to keep her head above water. He leaned over the side of the hydrofoil, grabbing her with his arm and lifting her in one smooth movement onto the deck beside him.

Jun...

Without saying a word, he swept her into his arms, crushing his mouth to hers, reveling in her eager response.

"Joe! Joe! I love you... Joe!" she murmured, between kisses.

And all was right with the world once more.

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"Katse got picked up by some Galactor ship," wailed an astonished Swallow, and sure enough, as Ken stood rooted to the spot, a rotating, multi-pronged Galactor ship flew off rapidly into the distance.

It had too much of a head start. If they tried to chase it down in the God Phoenix, they'd never find it. The security personnel began to disperse, clearly aware that they were no longer required.

Ken closed his eyes. He had honestly believed that this nightmare of a day couldn't get any worse. But now he had failed Jun and Dr. Nambu. His teammate, the only woman he loved, was dead. The man who had taken him in as a young orphan, the man who had trained him to become Gatchaman, was also dead.

Jinpei came back in through the window, threw himself into Dr. Nambu's chair and leaned on the desk, holding his head in his hands.

"There's nothing more we can do here." Ryu's voice came from just behind him. "Let's head for the God Phoenix, and go back to the Crescent Base." He could feel Ryu's hand resting, comfortingly, on his shoulder.

"You're right," he replied sadly, "We have to let Joe know what's happened to the Doctor."

"And Jun too, right?" asked Ryu.

"No, he already knows about... Jun. Katse told him when he answered Joe's Priority One transmission."

"Oh man," sighed Ryu, "He found out like that? That's rough."

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He'd never been more eager to change out of Birdstyle.

He would never let her go. He would never stop running his hands over her body. He would never stop kissing her wet, salty face and her soft, warm mouth. She was alive, she was here, and she loved him...

She was shivering.

He pulled back slightly from her face. Her wet hair was plastered flat against her head, and her eyes had never seemed so large, luminous... and full of love.

"Come on." he said softly. "Come inside the cabin, out of the wind."

He was able to find a couple blankets stashed in a small compartment. He unfolded one and wrapped it around Jun.

"You found me, Joe..." She pulled him in again, for a deeper and slower kiss.

"I had to try to find you, Jun; I love you so much... But I was so scared..."

"Scared? _You_?" she whispered, touching his face with her hands, running her fingers through the hair on his forehead, underneath his visor.

"You said it yourself," he replied, tilting his head to rest his against hers. "All of the women I get close to end up dead."

"No, no... Joe," she breathed, "You said a man's luck has to change some time. Your luck _has_ changed... Oh, your luck has changed..."

"You think?"

"I know." she said with a smile.

He reached for her again, speaking as he held the blanket closer to her, vainly attempting to absorb the water.

"He told me you'd blown up with the mecha. He was such a complete bastard about it! But I wouldn't believe it, and now you're here, and I won't let him keep us apart, ever..."

He was pressing her against the wall of the cabin now, kissing her neck, sliding his hands over her breasts. The cold water had made them so firm; he could feel her nipples through her wet clothes. She was sliding her hands up his back. He was breathing harder now, and so was she, but…

"Wait... who told you I was dead?"

"Dr. Nambu, and he was…"

"Dr. Nambu? Joe, Dr. Nambu was with me! I found him being held prisoner on the porcupine mecha. You _couldn't_ have spoken with Dr. Nambu!"

"Where is he now, then?"

"Not far from here, on a ship with some Galactor deserters. That's where I was too."

"Then who the hell did I speak with?"

There was a moment of silence, as each of them came to the same conclusion.

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Ken, Ryu, and Jinpei had just boarded the God Phoenix when Ken's bracelet began to chime. He glanced down at his wrist; it was Joe.

Ken sighed, and shook his head. He couldn't keep ignoring Joe. He was going to have to tell him about Dr. Nambu. He pressed the surface of his bracelet, to admit incoming transmissions. But the voice that came flowing, loud and clear, from his bracelet wasn't Joe's.

It was Jun's.

"Ken, Jinpei, Ryu! I'm not dead! I'm fine, I'm with Joe now. But you have to know that Dr. Nambu was captured by Galactor; I found him being held prisoner on the porcupine mecha. He and I both escaped in a Galactor jet -which, um, you shot down, Ken- but we survived!"

Ryu was grinning ear to ear, and laughing. Jinpei was leaping around for joy. But he felt...

"But Ken, there's an _imposter_ pretending to be Dr. Nambu! It's probably Katse; you have to stop him!"

Ken was gaping, trying to process everything Jun was saying, trying to manage to think at all, as he was now flooded with joy. Jun was alive...

Finally, he managed to speak.

"We know that Katse was pretending to be the Doctor. We confronted him, but he just escaped now. But Katse said he'd ordered the Doctor to be killed! Is Dr. Nambu _really_ with you, Jun? Are you _really_ okay, Jun?"

He could feel his voice cracking. He'd been so convinced she had to be dead; he'd given up on her. And _he_ had been the one who had shot her down? Even in the midst of his joy, he felt... horrible.

"Dr. Nambu is fine. He's on a boat... Where would that boat be now, Joe? He's on a boat about three hundred miles south of Jonka City, somewhere northwest of where the porcupine mecha crashed. The boat belongs to some Galactor deserters, but Dr. Nambu has worked out a deal where they'll get amnesty in return for all the information they have on Galactor."

Her story was getting more incredible every second.

"You should go and retrieve Dr. Nambu in the God Phoenix, Ken. Just remember, the men he's with are dressed like Galactor goons, but they genuinely want to leave Galactor. They won't shoot the God Phoenix! Their leader's name is Tom."

"But what about you, Jun? You say you're with Joe, but where are you?"

Joe's voice was coming over his bracelet now.

"It doesn't matter where she is, Ken; she's with me. We'll meet you back at the Crescent Base."

But the Condor didn't specify when that would be.

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	17. Chapter 17

"It looks like this baby's got autopilot. I've set a course back to the Crescent Base, though not as fast."

"So we don't need to do anything?" Jun came up behind Joe, putting her arms around his waist and toying with his belt buckle.

"Oh, there's _something_ we need to do," he said, smiling, "But it has nothing to do with steering this boat."

"I can't believe that I'm actually here, with you." Jun gasped. "For a moment, I was wondering if I would ever see you again."

"When I woke up, in the Medical Bay, and you weren't there..."

"I'm sorry, Joe." Jun hung her head. "I was going to stay by your side, but then Dr. Nambu called us away for this mission. I knew I couldn't shirk my duty. I owed Hakase... I owed Ken... that much."

"I understand." Joe said, pressing small kisses into her forehead. "I would have done the same thing, knowing you were safe at Crescent Coral Base."

"But now, we are together..." Jun smiled. "Amazing how just half an hour ago, I had almost given up hope."

"I _had_ to believe that I would see you again." Joe whispered, his voice small, and tight. "If I hadn't, I don't know what I would have ended up doing. But it was that belief, that you were still alive, that sent me out here, to find you."

"And when I realized that someone from the ISO must have locked onto my homing beacon, I knew it had to be you." Jun smiled. "Who else would be that crazy to come after me? Only you..." She stood up on her tiptoes, pressing her mouth against his, expressing her gratitude in a number of ways until they were both gasping for air. His hands smoothed up and down her body, and she pulled at his bracelet, unlatching it and tossing it into the corner of the small cabin. The flash of light that accompanied detransmutation washed over them, illuminating their joy in the simple pleasure of being with each other.

But there were other pleasures they intended to experience.

"G2, this is G1!" The voice came from the Condor's bracelet.

"Leave a message, Ken." growled Joe, pulling off his shirt and tossing it over the communicator.

"We've picked up Dr. Nambu. Just thought you would want to know." Ken's voice was more muffled now. Giggling, Jun pulled off her shirt and threw it on top of Joe's, quieting the sound even more.

"I just wanted to make sure that G3 was still okay..."

It took two pairs of pants to finally silence the bracelet.

"Well, trust Ken to get us out of our clothes." Joe grinned suggestively.

"The only one who gets me out of my clothes is _you_." Jun smiled, running her fingers lightly along Joe's collarbone. "Although, I seem to have a few left..." She tugged lightly at her bra and underwear.

"That's easily rectified." the Condor replied, removing the offending garments as the Swan laughingly pulled off his own boxer briefs.

"You're so beautiful..." he said, his eyes widening and drinking in the sight of her. "I can't believe that you actually want..."

"I do, Joe." she said, her eyes meeting his. "I want _you_. I love you. I can't even imagine living my life without you."

"I'll do my best to be worthy of you, Jun." he whispered, before claiming her mouth for his own. "I love you."

There was a small cot in the corner of the tiny cabin, and it was here that the Condor brought the Swan, gently laying her down on the blankets there.

"Now," he murmured seductively. "I believe you like to start things off with a massage...?"

"Mmm, that I do. But sit on the edge of this cot; this time it's _your_ turn."

He cocked an eyebrow at her curiously, but willingly complied. She sat up and slid in behind him, resting on her heels with a knee on either side of his hips.

At first she merely ran her hands over the warm skin of his back: some dark freckles between his shoulder blades, a few old scars, some more recent bruises... but he was perfect; just muscle, bone, tendon and skin, but there was no way that he could have been made more beautifully.

She had known him for so many years; how was it that she had never _truly_ seen him?

She had never really looked.

So often, he had kept to himself, or stood away from the group, leaning against a wall with arms crossed; if he spoke to anyone, it was usually Ken, and his face had so often been inscrutable, inviting no one inside.

And she'd been too busy projecting her girlish dreams onto Ken, onto the heroism and glamour of Gatchaman. She had never known the treasure that lay hidden within Joe: his heart.

She knew now when she'd first seen it; they way he'd been looking at her when he'd surprised her, late at night, on the bridge of the God Phoenix... She hadn't understood then what she was seeing, but it had drawn her in.

And their night together, when all barriers had come down, he'd given himself to her, totally, and held nothing back. When she had been captured by Galactor in New Jork, when Dr. Nambu tried to separate them, when everyone had believed she'd died in the porcupine mecha, he had followed his heart, without hesitation. Here was a man who valued love over duty, who would always fight to defend her and to defend their love.

She was no fool; she knew they led dangerous lives. The past few days had certainly demonstrated that well. She didn't know what the future held, but she knew without a doubt that she would spend whatever she had of it with Joe.

"Are you trying to massage me with your eyes?"

She realized then that she'd stopped moving her hands some time ago.

"Sorry," she whispered, "I was just looking at you."

She slid her hands up his back and began to knead the muscles from his neck to his shoulders, but soon it just wasn't enough to touch him only with her hands; she had to kiss him too.

She brushed his hair aside and explored the back of his neck with lingering kisses. She raised herself higher to lean forward and kiss the soft, soft skin behind his ear, where she could feel the beat of his pulse with her lips.

Her hands slipped off his shoulders, slid beneath his arms, and she brought them around his body. Her hands were on his ribs, then stroking the hard muscles of his chest.

She realized that she was undulating slowly, so that her nipples traced the skin of his back, and below she was pressing herself rhythmically against the base of his spine. She slid her hands lower, feeling ribs give way to smooth muscle. Her fingertips found his navel. She moved still lower, till her hands found what they most sought.

As she held his rigid length with her hands, and began sinuously sliding their grip, up and down, Joe moaned.

"Jun..."

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Jun's touch on his maleness was incredible... but it wasn't enough. He needed to touch too, and be a part of this encounter. Much as he had enjoyed Jun's 'yo-yo bondage' of the other night, on this occasion he wanted to take part... to express to the Swan just what it meant to him to have her in his arms, when he thought he had lost her.

Slowly, he shifted around, until the two of them were facing each other, their hands on each other's bodies, stroking, caressing, exploring every curve and arc, every muscle and sinew. His fingers stroked her silken skin, while his mouth tasted of it, kissing and nipping and teasing her even as she subjected him to the same treatment. She was soft, as a woman should be, yet also hard and lean: the result of her intense training and combat experience. When he pressed himself against the Swan, her body conformed to his, as if the Condor's musculature was the perfect complement to her lush curves.

There was nothing about her that wasn't everything he had ever dreamed of, and more; no part of her that he didn't want to spend hours exploring and worshiping, yet all too soon his physical desires demanded attention, crying out with needs to be satisfied.

"Joe...." Jun moaned, her head thrown back, "now..."

His hard length literally knocked at the door to her feminine entrance, and eagerly she welcomed him inside of her, sighing with relief as he sheathed himself within her body. It was almost painful for him to move, holding himself back, yet at the same time letting the most intense ecstasy he had ever known wash over him. Slowly he pulled himself back and forth, caressing that most sensitive spot inside her feminine passage while she cried out his name, clutching handfuls of his hair in her fists.

"Joe... oh... I can't... I want... Joe..."

Her body had been soft and supple, but now it tensed, her feminine warmth clenching and rippling around his masculinity as she brought him toward his own crisis.

"Jun!" he cried, tears falling down his face as he stared at her, burning the image of a Swan caught in the throes of passion into his memory, and tying that together with the exquisite torture she was inflicting on his own body.

He couldn't stop time, to savor this moment of culmination as long as he wished, but it was a comfort to know that he and Jun would be recreating it, over and over, in the long expanse of time that was the future. So he surrendered to the moment, gave in to his body's yearning demand for release, gave in to the cries that sought to escape his throat, and rode the shuddering waves of bliss that carried him home, to Jun's embrace.

They were both gasping for air, almost sobbing, but still catching and releasing each others lips in light quick kisses, and still joined below, each unwilling to let their union end.

But their breathing gradually slowed, their mouths stilled, and just to be in each other's arms, bathed in that glow of awe that new lovers share… that was enough.

The boat continued to sail over the dark ocean waves, as its steady motion rocked them both to sleep.

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A voice, from far away... calling his name...

But Jun was here in his arms, and nothing else mattered.

Yet the voice persisted.

He opened his eyes; Jun lifted her head from his shoulder. The soft light of morning was entering the windows of the cabin.

"Joe, why aren't you answering? You're only a few kilometers from the Base!"

Ken.

He stretched out an arm, and was able to unearth his bracelet from the pile of clothes that buried it.

"Hi, Ken."

"I'm picking up a homing signal from Jun's bracelet, and I understand you've got the hydrofoil boat. Where have you been all this time?"

"I wasn't aware there was a reason to come rushing back to the Base."

"I've got one for you, then. Dr. Nambu wants to talk to you. And to Jun."

Damn. He should have known that this was coming.

"We'll be there shortly." the Condor acknowledged, before turning off his bracelet. His eyes lifted to meet Jun's.

"I guess we'd better get dressed." Jun said. "I don't think Hakase wants to see us like this." She gestured to their unclothed state.

"I suspect it wouldn't help our case." Joe smirked, but then his expression turned serious.

"I _won't_ be separated from you, Jun." he said quietly. "No matter what, I won't give you up. Not unless..."

"Unless what?" Jun asked, her eyes widening.

"Unless it's what _you_ want."

"It damn well isn't!" she smiled. "I didn't go through all of those arguments with Ken and Hakase, just to give you up now."

"So you're not sick of me yet?"

"After last night?" Jun smiled coquettishly. "I suspect I'm addicted to you, Joe."

"You took the words right out of my mouth." Joe smiled, pulling her close for a breathless kiss.

A warning ping announced that they were within a kilometer of their destination, and hurriedly the pair got dressed, replacing their bracelets on their wrists just as the hydrofoil piloted itself into the Docking Bay. The Condor and the Swan jumped off of the craft, then moved toward the exit, hand in hand.

"Whatever happens, we stand together." Jun said, squeezing Joe's fingers lightly.

"I wouldn't want it any other way." Joe grinned.

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As soon as they exited the Docking Bay, Jinpei threw himself at Jun. He didn't have a hope of lifting her up and spinning her around, but he tried, which set Ryu laughing.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again!" he yelled, as he resigned himself to hugging her around the waist.

"Hear, hear!" said Ryu, shoving Jinpei out of the way to hug her himself.

Jun was laughing too, until she saw Ken standing further back from the others.

"I don't know what's worse, Jun: having wrongly believed that you were dead, or knowing that it was really me who came so close to killing you and the Doctor."

His eyes were filled with pain, but his posture was formal, and he didn't try to hug her.

"I'm sorry, Jun. I should have believed in you more, believed that you'd find a way..."

She hugged Ken instead.

"It was a chaotic situation with that mecha and those jets," she said, "and you called it as you saw it; there's no blame in that."

Ken's body relaxed, but the look in his eyes lingered.

"Dr. Nambu wants to see you and Joe," said Jinpei. "Wait till you see his face, Joe! I've had a few black eyes in my time, but nothing like what he's got! Blue, purple, green, yellow, all the colors…"

"Enough, Jinpei," said Jun. She really didn't want to think about Dr. Nambu yet.

"I'm not meeting with anyone until I've had some breakfast." said Joe.

"Let's all go to the cafeteria, then." said Jinpei eagerly. "All five of us! It's been way too long since the Team was all together!"

"Uh, I think it's only been three days, kid." said Ryu.

"You know what I mean!" yelled Jinpei, attempting to smack Ryu, only to find himself in one of the Owl's best wrestling holds.

"The cafeteria it is, then." said Joe, walking towards the small elevator with Jun at his side.

The elevator doors were shiny and mirror-like. Jun was able to see Jinpei, still pinned under Ryu's arm, as he noticed that she and Joe were holding hands. The Swallow's eyes widened and his mouth flew open, only to quickly be covered by the large hand of an equally stunned Owl.

"You two go first." said Ken, staring sadly at Jun. "We'll take the next car."

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Jun admitted to herself that it was nice to eat a meal that wasn't prepared by Galactor deserters hiding out on an old, nearly broken-down ship.

Jinpei and Ryu kept staring at her and Joe all through breakfast, but they didn't say a thing about what they'd observed just outside the Docking Bay. She suspected that Ken had intervened to prevent it, and she appreciated his tact.

There was only so long that they could linger over coffee. They would have to face Dr. Nambu soon.

"I'm not meeting with anyone until I've had a shower." said Joe. Was that his foot brushing against hers?

Jun's imagination flooded with images of Joe in the shower, water running over his glistening skin...

"I could really use a shower too!"

"Jun," said Ken, "Before you go, please tell me what happened on the porcupine mecha, and how you and the Doctor ended up in a Galactor jet, and how I couldn't tell that you weren't Galactor. Dr. Nambu says he was unconscious during nearly the whole thing. _I almost killed you. _I never want that to happen again. What should I have done differently?"

The anguish in Ken's eyes was real. She glanced quickly at Joe, who had stood up from the table, and realized that she could tell _exactly_ what he was thinking: explain it all to Ken and make him feel better. They would have lots of opportunities to shower together, later.

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	18. Chapter 18

Jinpei was right.

That was all she could think as she and Joe filed into Dr. Nambu's office and closed the door behind them. Overnight, his bruises had indeed turned colorful, although the swelling was down. It had been one thing to see him that way in the mecha, and on the ship; but here in his own office...

And that was just his face, the only part of him that was visible. That's when it really hit her; he had been tortured -_tortured_- and without even a Birdstyle to protect him.

"Please sit down, both of you."

He walked over to the undersea window.

"Recent events have reminded me just how much time a prisoner has to do nothing but think. Believing that one is about to die miserably and painfully, and then being rescued, has a way of making one... reevaluate priorities, as well as question decisions one has made."

He turned to face Jun and Joe.

"I've read the mission reports, Joe." Dr. Nambu said. "It's clear to me that your presence on this mission was sorely missed, and that had you been onboard the God Phoenix, things might have turned out differently."

"I understand, Hakase." Joe said quietly.

"Jun, during the mission you exhibited incredible courage and judgment." Nambu continued. "While initially I might have questioned one or two of your choices of action, you kept your head about you and managed to get both of us to safety. I will never forget waking up to have you thrusting a parachute into my hands." The Doctor smiled wryly.

"Thank you, Hakase." Jun smiled. "I don't think I will ever forget that moment either."

"You are both valuable members of the Science Ninja Team," Nambu stated, "and I don't want to lose either of you."

"We have no desire to leave the Science Ninja Team." Jun said, confused.

"At this point, there is no reason for us to want to leave." Joe said, picking up on the Doctor's underlying message.

"I realize that." Nambu replied, looking directly at Joe. "And yet, there is a matter we have discussed recently that has put us all at odds." The Doctor sighed heavily before continuing.

"I am not happy about the relationship that has developed between the two of you." Nambu admitted. "However, I had a long conversation with Ken last night, and he pointed out to me that while technically I can forbid such a thing, I cannot make you remove emotional ties that are already present. I have always encouraged the five of you to work as a group, knowing each others' strengths and weaknesses, to better function as a team. I always knew that something like this could happen."

"That's why you had that talk with us, all of those years ago." Joe said.

"Yes." the Doctor acknowledged. "But I see now that these feelings you have for each other have not diminished your effectiveness as members of the Science Ninja Team. Jun was able to perform her duties admirably, as I can personally attest to, despite being worried about you, Joe. And you were able to use your head to find us, despite everyone else thinking that Jun was dead and that I was not missing at all. And Ken..."

"What about Ken?" Jun asked curiously.

"Ken was able to do his duty, and concentrate enough to determine that the man impersonating me was, in fact, Berg Katse, despite his... concern... over the situation between the two of you, and his immeasurable grief over your supposed death, Jun. The same can be said of Jinpei and Ryu, who were both emotionally distressed to think that you were gone, yet worked together with Ken to expose Katse and prevent him from making off with any sensitive Mantle Plan data."

"So what, exactly, are you saying, Hakase?" Joe asked. The corner of his mouth was twitching.

"I would still prefer that the two of you not be involved as anything more than teammates." Nambu replied steadily. "But you have both proven to me that such a relationship does not impact your performance as members of the Science Ninja Team, just as your emotions and feelings for the other members of the Team do not interfere with your duties. For that reason, I am willing to allow it, as long as your performance with the Team remains within acceptable parameters."

"Thank you, Hakase!" Jun jumped up, running over to the Doctor. She stood up on tiptoes and spoke into his ear.

"Just for the record," she whispered, "it was awfully difficult concentrating on escaping that Galactor mecha, when I knew that you were hurt and unconscious. But I did what I had to do."

"Thank you, Jun." Nambu replied, and as he pulled back, his eyes were bright.

"You are both dismissed." he said, returning to his seat and bending his head to concentrate on the files scattered across his desk.

"We won't let you down, Hakase." Jun promised.

"Thank you." Joe said quietly, as they exited the office. They closed the door behind them.

They were alone.

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Jun just stood there, staring blankly at the corridor wall. She had steeled herself to face Dr. Nambu forbidding her involvement with Joe, and had been frantically composing impassioned pleas and arguments in her head. Yet they'd all proven completely unnecessary. Dr. Nambu was no longer an obstacle to their happiness together.

Since when did fate allow her everything she wanted? This was almost too good to be true...

She turned to Joe, and saw in his face that he was thinking the same thing. As he turned to her, she smiled her widest smile and threw her arms about his neck, as he embraced her tightly and pressed her cheek against his.

She loved Joe and he loved her; that was the absolute truth.

"So," said Joe, tickling her ear with his breath, "do you have any plans for this Friday night?"

She had to laugh.

"You're asking me out on a date?"

"Isn't that what a good boyfriend is supposed to do?"

Boyfriend. She actually had a boyfriend...

She was still laughing.

"What day of the week is it today?"

Now Joe was laughing too.

"I honestly don't know. Too much has happened..."

"At breakfast, Ryu did say that he planned to take the God Phoenix back to his marina later today, so I should go back to Utoland with him. The Snack J's been closed for days now."

"Yeah, and I really need to get to the track, and check the race schedules."

"Still," Jun said, running her hand through Joe's hair, "I'm sure Jinpei could manage to run the place by himself for one evening."

"But in the meantime," said Joe, sliding his hands around her waist, "I still want to take a shower."

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Here was a case, Jun realized, where her imagination had failed to live up to reality.

Streaming jets of warm water ran over her body as Joe's fingers massaged her head soothingly, while shampooing her hair. She moved directly beneath the spray to rinse her hair, leaning her head back, and Joe began kissing her throat, moving his lips ever lower, now applying his skillful fingers to her breasts.

Between the warm water cascading down her back and the firm hands massaging her skin, she had never felt more relaxed. She sighed, leaning backward as his arm came around her waist to support her, while his mouth moved up to kiss her lips.

"Oh..." Jun giggled. "This is fun. But I haven't had a turn yet."

"There's nothing stopping you." Joe pointed out.

"You don't know how distracting you are."

"I think you have it the wrong way around." he disagreed. "_You're_ the distraction, Jun. When I see you like this, it's nearly impossible for me to think about anything but touching you... tasting you..." A devilish light came into his eyes.

"Oh, no you don't!" Jun laughed, placing her palms flat on his chest and pushing him playfully away from her. "It's _my_ turn!"

She kept on pushing him until his back hit the wall of the shower. He raised an eyebrow at her in a challenging manner.

Oh, he was going to pay for that.

She began kissing him at his collarbone, her lips following the trail of water that snaked down his chest. Her pink tongue darted out, catching each droplet in turn, lightly flickering against his skin every time she did so. She placed her mouth along every crevice of his chiseled torso, tickling and teasing until she heard his breath catch in his throat.

Smiling to herself, she continued moving toward her objective, her fingertips brushing lightly over his hips, and down to his thighs. Her hands moved with the water that flowed there, caressing the skin that was close... so close... to what she truly wanted.

But she wasn't about to rush.

The previous night their intimacy had been over too quickly. They had needed a quick release then, to revel in the fact that they were both still alive... and that they were together. Tonight, they had all the time in the world, and she intended to use every minute of it.

"Jun..."

His voice was so deep, it was almost a growl, and that alone told her that he was close to losing control. Perhaps he had suffered enough... No, not yet.

Her tongue flickered out again, catching the tiny streams of water that moved from his abdomen and down toward the nest of curls that lay beyond. Jun pressed forward, letting Joe's arousal be caressed by her breasts as she nipped at the expanse of skin below his navel. She placed her upper arms along her sides, then squeezed them together, embracing his hard length with her soft mounds, even as she continued to kiss and tease along his waistline. She moved slowly, up and down, allowing him to feel the tender caress of her breasts as they brushed by the most sensitive part of him.

He groaned, his head leaning back and his hands grasping her shoulders, a harsh cry coming forth from between his lips as he attempted to guide her motion to his satisfaction. For a moment, she let him, and then she turned the tables, shifting her body downward until her tongue was swirling around the outside of his lust. It twitched and bobbed in response, and offered her a shiny pearl as an indication that she was eliciting a primal response within him. His fingers were threaded through her hair, tangled up in the wet strands as he gave himself over to the passion of the moment.

"Jun, _now_.... _please_..."

She could never recall hearing the Condor say that word, but the catch in his voice told her that he meant it. She was in control, and yet she showed mercy, kissing the tip of his length softly, then slowly deepening their intimacy, until she had taken in as much of him as she could, sighing contentedly as she suckled upon him.

She could feel a slight throbbing on her tongue, and then a tightening, before his essence flooded her mouth, its creamy texture gliding down her throat. Jun smiled happily as his member softened, and she carefully slid back, placing a final kiss on the tip before moving back up to crush her mouth to his.

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Joe was grateful for the shower wall at his back; at that moment of whirling euphoria he no longer trusted his legs to support him. Jun... She was kissing him, taking and giving, kneading and nipping his lips with hers, gliding the tip of her tongue along his as her body pressed against him

_Intimacy_. It had been just a word before, but now he truly knew its meaning, its potential. He could almost believe that their bodies could flow together, occupy the same space as one. He who had so long been solitary, would never be alone again. She could go halfway round the world and they would yet be together; their souls were one now and would ever draw their bodies back to each other.

But right now she was here in all senses, and feeling was returning to his limbs again, and as much as she had just given him intense satiety, he was still hungry; hungry for her. Now it was _his_ turn to guide her the few steps across the shower, until her back rested against the tiled wall.

He dropped to his knees, urging her with his hands to spread her feet further apart, so that the tender skin of her inner thighs was his to stroke with his fingers, to lick the rivulets of warm water that ran down her skin, and to forge a path of slow kisses, softly pulling with his lips and teeth, ever moving higher. She was moaning softly, and he could feel her fingers playing with his wet hair.

And it was his turn to taste her, as she had tasted him. She was utterly delicious. With his tongue and his lips he slowly caressed her most sensitive place, feeling its response and hearing her moans give way to gasps. Her legs were trembling and she was drumming the palms of her hands against the wall beside her hips, undulating her body in a rhythm to match that of his mouth's touch.

And she was shuddering, crying out his name, now clutching his head with her hands. He waited, waited for her to ride out her moment of blissful crisis, before sliding two fingers deep inside her, so slick now with her delicious nectar, and feeling her passage now tighten around his fingers as he slid them slowly out and in, out and in...

Her yearning was palpable and his own body was answering; he could feel himself engorging, stiffening. Her body's call was such that he was, even now, able to respond anew. He withdrew his fingers and stood again, as she brought her feet back together. He could look into her eyes now, so large and deep, as he slid himself back and forth between the wet skin of her thighs, and kissed her again...

She lifted her leg high and hooked it round his hip, pushing herself against him. He understood and slid his hands under her arms, supporting her and holding her up against the wall as she raised her other leg to encircle him fully, gripping his hips with her thighs even as he sank his rigid length deep within her core...

"Damn it!"

This somewhat mild phrase was followed by a far stronger string of curses as the Condor was subjected to the brunt of the now ice-cold water cascading over his bare skin. Blue was his color, but only on his wings, damn it! With a sharp flick of his wrist he turned off the water in the shower and opened the door, then returned his hand to supporting the weight of his lover as he took four quick strides from the small cubicle, through the bathroom, into the bedroom, and to his bed, all the while remaining joined with the Swan.

"Ooh, that's cold..." giggled Jun, as Joe tossed his wet hair back from his eyes, showering her with icy droplets.

"I'll warm you up." Joe promised, his eyes smoldering.

Jun began to melt as the Condor made good on his intentions, his body covering hers as he moved within her, quickly re-stoking the fires that had briefly dampened during their hasty retreat. Her entire world became centered on the feeling of him within her, and she closed her eyes, allowing her soul to soar as he held her within the circle of his arms. She had lost control of her own body, allowing him to do as he wished, and the result was an incredible crescendo of desire, love, lust, and emotion, sending her shooting up to the stars to become one with the sky. Unconsciously, she tightened her inner embrace around him, gripping his physical connection to her with her muscles, as her body responded to the ecstasy he was inducing within her.

"Joe!"

She cried out, her muscles clenching and stiffening as she was flooded by his passion, that sweetest of sensations rushing out to overwhelm every last part of her. She was floating, yet felt too heavy to move: a helium-filled lead balloon, unable to find her way to the surface. She let herself be carried away by the current, her only connection to the universe the man in her arms... the only one she ever wanted to be with....

"Jun.... I love you, Jun...."

"I love you, Joe."

He was lying by her side, yet still within her. His hand tenderly brushed back the damp ebony locks from her face, while his lips pressed soft kisses onto her forehead, her cheeks, her eyelids... and finally, her mouth.

The taste of him was sweeter than anything she could imagine, and yet it was only a hint of what was to come in their future. Together they flew, and Jun knew that as long as she was with Joe, her world was complete.

And she would never be without him again.

**The End**


End file.
